


41st Millenium: a Star Wars Story

by DaLewisII



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:06:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24258628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaLewisII/pseuds/DaLewisII
Summary: Darth Vader and his master Darth Sidious tap into the ancient wisdom of the Dark Side and enter the 41st Millenium universe. This Fanfic tells their exploits and struggles in this new universe, as Vader searches for redemption and Sidious for Power. Inspired by a Youtube video made by Commissar Gamza, this is my first fanfic. Hope you guys like it. Any feedback is welcome.
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1: The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Could Darth Vader survive in Warhammer40K](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/622084) by Commissar Gamza. 



Chapter 1:

**The Arrival**

It was a gray and cold day, the rain has kept on pouring for the 6th day in a row. The gun noises in the distance gave the new reinforcements shivers down their spines. For the others, it was just a distant sound, one more reminder to thank the Emperor for being alive one more day. After all, they were all that was left after several skirmishes, and the boys of the 7th company were the only ones available to provide help, as useless rookies as they are, all of them coming from the z4 command post. The last patrol returned from the main front with only 2 men. They know this planet is only a few days away from Exterminatus, what point does it make to charge into battle? Perhaps watching the Chapter in action or simply helping the Chaplain complete his sacred task while taking out some Xenos in the process. Seperus Prime used to be an agricultural world as many, filled with noise, color and activity, ready to supply for the troops and citizens of the Imperium. Now it's just a couple of somber processing plants, dead crops, gray plains and mud filled marshes. As the command post remained nearly silent, something happened on the southern plains close to the main compound, near the newly digged trenches.

The winds started blowing in different directions for a while until they formed a small vortex in the middle of the field. What the guardsmen assumed to be a new storm incoming, proved to be wrong as the rain diminished. A small dome of lightning appeared in front of them, big enough to provide shelter for one man it seemed. Several lights and sounds surrounded the dome, and as minutes went by, more energy and light was produced . The veteran officers reported it back to the headquarters, they received the same order: "No matter what it is, hold the line guardsmen. Keep us posted. Over." The dome exploded in a flash and several of the guardsmen were thrown to the walls of their trenches.

A figure appeared, bent on one knee as a guardsman before an Astartes. The silence of rain prevailed until it started breathing: harsh and uneasy yet ominous and constant, resembling a fierce but wounded beast that uses its own willpower to stay alive. As it stood, the figure became clearer and yet more perplexing. A dark cape and a helmet, not so different from the ones used by the Skitarii Vanguard and the Commissars, a tight suit with gloves, boots, shoulder protectors and a control panel with buttons on its chest, all combining both human and robotic appearance and covered in different shades of black and grey minus several areas. Simple and threatening, as if he embodied the nature of the grim outer space itself, yet with no apparent physical augmentations. Most of the soldiers remained either astonished or nervously brave, as if some of them would try to hang on to their sanity while others would have been driven insane and retreat from this unknown creature, probably linked to the Chaos gods and their energy.

One veteran captain sent a trooper forward with a simple grin and a hand gesture. After all, It was just another heretic, another foe to be taken down, no matter its nature or the cost, less powerful as it seemed. The sole guardsman climbed the trench and aimed with his lasgun as he spoke to the strange figure:

"This is Corporal Stephan Androxius, 417th regiment, Cadian Shock Troopers, identify yourself or you will be shot!"

As he finished the phrase, the guardsman desperately reached his own neck with his hands. He appeared to be choking on something. His body levitated while he tried to find the ground with his feet. As the strange figure made a hand gesture with his fully extended arm, in a clear display of psychic powers. He then spoke his first words:

"Are you threatening me, rebel scum?"

A small device soared into his hand and a red beam came out, resembling some kind of sword. The guardsman flew towards him and with a single swing, was decapitated by the Dark Man. As the guardsman's body laid on the ground, the rest of his platoon opened fire, since it became a threat that was clearly underestimated. The Dark Man managed to bounce off several of the rounds with his sword, redirecting them towards his attackers and killing a third of them while others simply pierced his cape or were caught by his bare hands. Two squads emerged from the ruins and flanked the Dark Man from the right, throwing grenades as they approached the target . The grenades were stopped mid air and thrown back to the guardsmen, who simply screamed and fell as the explosions tore them apart. A guardsman crawled to cover on the right flank while holding in his own entrails, taking advantage of the sniper fire from the southeast. The Dark Man stopped the sniper round mid air with a hand gesture as the other two deviated, killing the frontline radio operator. The moment the Dark Man twisted his finger, the sound of a snapping neck and a dropped corpse was heard in the distance, taking out the sniper while reflecting the shots fired from the remaining troops on the right flank. He proceeded to use his power to disarm the rest of the frontline with a pulling gesture and stepped forward. The four oldest veterans armed themselves with power swords, pistols and shotguns, and after rallying what was left of the frontline, climbed over and charged towards him, making some guardsmen recover lasguns from the hands of their fallen brothers and use them for a bayonet charge. They charged screaming, roaring at the top of their lungs, as any brave imperial guardsman should, hoping to overrun him. Little they knew the charge only sealed their fate, when the Dark Man delivered devastating close quarter blows using his sword and psycher powers. Bones were bent and broken, exposing the splintered remains, limbs were hacked, torsos stabbed, bodies torn in half. Screams, growls and the stench of burned flesh persisted as this mysterious entity took them out one by one and also by several groups at a time, gracefully and effectively, emulating an intricate choreography, a dance of death. A tremor was felt and several of the weapons and Armour started to move by themselves. Mere seconds later, they were crushed by the same power the Dark Man used to kill his first victim. Rifles and grenades exploded, canons were bent, mortars were neutralized and turrets were obliterated. The Dark Man walked away as two hundred brave Cadian Troopers layed on the ground, some disfigured to the point of not being recognizable anymore.

As he entered the command post building, he heard a muffled voice transmitting some message:

"Incoming artillery barrage, Commissar. Danger 10 minutes,stay put. over."

The soldier wielding the radio sported a sober yet very distinctive uniform, resembling some sort of commanding officer. The Dark Man decided to spare him for some minutes for interrogation as he took out the rest of the soldiers inside. He then calmly approached the Commissar as the last dying guardsman reached for him, confirming his title while he yelled it in pain. The Dark Man addressed the young yet bloodthirsty Commissar cadet:

"Take me to the emperor and I may save you from a painful death."

As he cleared his throat, he articulated a nervous yet potent answer:

"I would rather die a thousand deaths than give you the coordinates for the sacred world of Terra, you heretic."

"Heretic." The Dark Man replied, as he was never called that before. What does it meant? Could it be another Jedi who knows about his past ? Or just another democratic idealist who leads a resistance movement far away from the empire's jurisdiction? Was it a mere coincidence? Was he truly far beyond his known galaxy?

The Dark Man proceeded to collect himself and formulate another question:

"I see this system is beyond the outer rim, for I have no recall of it. Tell me,which master do you serve,young one?"

The officer remained calm and almost static as he extended his arm, reaching for his weapon.

"I only serve the Astra Militarum and the God Emperor himself,damned monster!"

Responded, as he pulled out a Chainsword and charged towards him.

Although some rounds have grazed his armor and wounded him, the Dark Man was still strong and fast enough to dodge and repel his attacks, as if he was simply toying with his adversary. Every clash between the two swords costed the chainsword some of its teeth,some engine bolts, some parts of its armor plate, leaving it useless after several swings. As the commissar reached for his pistol, the Dark Man hacked his sword wielding hand, along with one leg. With a muffled scream and a rage expression, the commissar then crawled to a wall and, using it as support, pointed out his pistol on the Dark Man. In the blink of an eye, both of his remaining limbs were severed.

Knowing that this would be the end of his life, and with the intention of gaining time for reinforcements, the commissar addressed him one last time:

"You truly are one tough psycher, and a cold bastard. But you're no ordinary savage, otherwise I'd be dead long ago. May I know the name of my slayer?"

The Dark Man turned the radio on remotely while staring at his victim through the helmet and moving his body forward on one knee, appearing to want a closer look at his dying foe. He then proceeded to answer and transmit his message as a warning for anyone listening:

"You and your petty army shall refer to me as Darth Vader, Lord of the sith. And I shall erase all those who stand in my way."

He stated while turning his back and swinging his sword. He then crushed the radio and walked away as the commissar's head rolled on the floor. After leaving the building, Vader approached to his spawning point, where burn marks and several shards of the ancient holocron still remained, some even with parts of the symbols that his master marked on the floor for the ritual. Perhaps his master would have run with the same luck as he did. As he still dwelled on these thoughts, Vader noticed a singularity in the force. There was a severe lack of it in its pure state, most of it being channeled and absorbed by beings beyond any measure known for him, full of emotion and power. He realized for the first time that this foreign system escaped his knowledge and it could be part of an entirely new galaxy, and that perhaps he was almost defenseless against these new enemies. But chief among all these sensations, the flickering presence of other force wielders was gone. not the inquisitors, not the hidden Jedi, not even that annoying beacon of guilt in Tatooine. For the first time in years, he felt truly alone in this new location, not even feeling the burden of his force connection to his master inside him. He noticed a cloud of dust and smoke on the horizon. Grazed and with part of his energy depleted, Vader took an offensive stance and readied his saber for a new attack, as the foreign beings charged on him, pronouncing a single loud war cry: WAAAAAAGH!

…


	2. Chapter 2: Nightfall

**Chapter 2:**

**Nightfall**

The nights on Seperus Prime were particularly windy, ideal for night mobilizations and stealthy attacks. Although nights raids were common for the guardsmen, none could ever detect what the Greenskins prepared. Their forces were mustered overnight, creating what the regiment feared the most, a Waaagh, marking the point of no return and sure demise of the planet , a perfect time for Exterminatus. After hours of running, marching and almost a day of no conflict, from behind the hills, a large formation of orks have prepared a surprise attack in order to destroy their human adversaries once and for all. Yet mere minutes before the attack, they saw first hand the explosions and started growling and scoffing while their foes fell in combat against an unknown entity. One of them addressed the biggest and strongest of their group with a high pitched, nasal voice:

-Yu prumized us more fightz, U prumized more waagh,Yu sed we'ad to just run'n wayt. now we wayted and humies are all ded !-

A Skarboy, bigger,stronger and full of battle marks yet slower, interfered:

-Yu dont Queztin bozz Or I'll feef ya' to the squigs-

-I'll Tear ye in 'alf ! -The smaller one replied..

The Orks formed a fighting circle for the two rivals, which proceeded to punch each other. One of them injured a partner while trying to land a scratch. Mayhem was unleashed and the orks started to brawl with their fists and claws, some even using wrenches and clubs.

The biggest and strongest of them roared and pointed to the horizon with his mechanic arm. The rest went silent and slowly returned into formation. Some used archaic telescopes to watch the dark figure in the distance, while others awaited for orders. He then loudly spoke with a raspy, deep voice, which was distorted by his new cybernetic enhancing implants:

-See dat one ober there? 'Tiz the one who killed all hoomans, 'iz good for waaagh. We haz to kill'im ferst so we kan distroy all'em humies. Ei wantz 'is hellmet, bring it to me!

The Orks responded with growls and to the sound of a second roar, they finally charged.

The Greenskins charged eagerly, stumbling and stepping on each other. Their massive jaws showed their fangs covered in dirt and saliva, their tense muscles, sensitive pointed ears and wide opened red eyes denoted one thing: They were ready to kill. They needed to satisfy their bloodlust for their own sake.

Their commander decided to put their lethality to the test sending their newly acquired warriors, outcast from an enemy clan: the EvilSunz, so they called themselves. A horde of gretchins turned on the engines of the war machines, while young orks and snotlings carried weapons and ammunition for the drivers and the passengers, some also strapping fuel gallons to their backs. Shortly after the charge began, A group of 30 WarBikez and WarBoogiez, all covered in different shades of ruby, made its way to the frontline. They all ran over several fellow orks and opened a path through the dirt, creating trails of thick black smoke in the air and hiding the numbers of the immense horde, while towering machines and contraptions seemed to be advancing way in the back. It was a spectacle of fury and savagery, a sight few had behold and fewer ever survived, a Waaagh to end all who opposed them.

-Le's take' im out first, boyz. Show da bozz we'z bezt. Go Fastah!-

Some small snottlings appeared and pushed the red buttons on the vehicles' different mechanisms. The vehicles roared and spat flames through their exhaust pipes. The small ones used their claws and teeth to hold on to their seats while the rest remained steady and unholstered their guns to take aim. Feeling the power of their engines and the rage in their blood, the leading Orks shouted a warcry, THE warcry, that was echoed by the rest of their kind, resounding all over the desolate fields around the planet:

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!"

At first sight of their new target, Both Gretchins and Boyz emptied their magazines on Vader and kept consuming their ammunition belts. Vader ran for cover behind the ruins, sprinting as fast as his legs would allow him. The vehicle crews noticed an anomaly the moment they reloaded, a small tremor.

In the blink of an eye, the ruins were lifted by Darth Vader with his power, who then threw them and crashed 8 WarBikez, exploding and releasing balls of fire on the orks nearby. The gretchins ran out of the crash zones, squealing and rolling on the ground as the flames consumed them.

Darth Vader extended both arms and took a deep breath. He then used the force to levitate the WarBoogeyz over his head and use them as projectiles. As the infantry charge came closer to Vader, a lonely Ork spotted the shadow of one of the falling vehicles, being transformed to a pulsating mass of gore as soon as it crashed over him. Other Boyz were stabbed, dismembered and cut open by the flying glass and iron shards that came from other crushed vehicles, one of them even being impaled through its mouth. Others ran even faster and more furiously as the fire coming from the wreckages jumped on their faces and bodies, burning their flesh.

Only a few steps behind where the ruins stood, the Greenskins noticed a peculiar object, a shining red disk of energy flying towards them. It was only in a split second when the ork charge abruptly discovered the nature of the object, while it cut part of the first line in half, burning and maiming, killing and crippling all it touched, until it returned to its starting point, to the hand of its master as a lightsaber. The Boyz behind stepped on the corpses, crushing their bones and spreading the brains and entrails, on which some others tripped and fell. Vader then realized that this new enemy was brutish, bloodthirsty, selfish, as those who took his mother's life so long ago. For a split second, the pain, grief and anguish of losing his mother came back to him, and despite its shortness it was still enough. He would not continue to play their game, thought while sheathing his saber. He would kill them as animals.

The planetary scans of the Astartes ships and recon drones detected the ground movements of that fateful morning, confirming that a general advance on the Southern Hemisphere of the planet created a Waaagh of at least 150 million orks along thousands of miles. Despite its constant advance, a 30 mile circular breach was detected on the first hour near to the guardsmen z4 command post. The imperial records would later cite it was due to seismic activity. Few would know the truth behind this unique event.

A mighty earthquake was felt and the earth transformed into waves of dirt, filth, junk, fire, rocks and corpses. The Boyz were knocked of their feet and crushed under the towering layers. The charge stopped and the horde tried to flank the area of impact while the survivors attempted to re-emerge, crawling off of the removed ground with their functioning limbs, only to be lifted into the air and feel a pain as no other crushing them from the inside. The floating orks vomited pools of blood and chunks of innards. Vader was moving his arms in the distance, feeling the weight of power in his hands, as his breathing became heavier, yet more serene and powerful. He unleashed his power, felt his emotion take over him. His rage became death and his remorse became mayhem and protection, stopping any random bullet that could hurt him. As the weight of his armor kept him steady, he had become the conductor of a destruction symphony, the symphony of the Dark Side.

Suddenly, a vision came up to the Lord Sith. Vader fell on his knees as he held his head, trying to disconnect himself from that vision. He felt lightning coming from The his eyes, his own flesh burning anew. His nerves twitched and pulled his muscles, his sweat evaporated in contact with his own skin. All he could see was a pulsating darkness and a hand coming from a portal trying to grab him. A demonic hand as none he has ever seen before, trying to take over him and obliterate his body and mind. Although it took mere instants, the struggle to contain such an evil force depleted a significant amount of Vader's energy. He snapped out of that vision the moment that pain invaded his body. His force shield was down and two bullets hit his left shoulder and hand, leaving the second with an impact hole that left his finger connections and mechanical controls almost useless.

The swarm of Greenskins retook the charge, as Vader remained sitting on the ground. Vader was still too weak to use the force and knew one hand could not fend off effectively against a fierce horde. He then noticed a distant sound: thunder and air whistling, the transmission was received. A barrage was on its way. For the first time since he came to be, Lord Vader was forced to retreat from the battlefield.

He walked heavily as he still struggled to control his own body after such a painful experience. While the shells fell on the regrouped horde, entire battalions were ripped to shreds. The explosions shook the ground while a struggling Vader used his advanced hearing sense to detect a hollowness on the ground several steps from his current position. He regained some strength on his legs and proceeded to jump into what appeared to be an underground entrance, a hatch behind the main compound. He landed feet first into what appeared to be the base of a supply elevator. He started to walk as straight as possible and covered his body with his cape, as to conceal his wounds to any possible enemy.

As he entered the tunnel, he was able to realize that it was part of a deeper net. Water pipes extended to what appeared to be kilometers upon kilometers of tunnels. Several crates sported that strange emblem he saw before, piled up aside what appeared to be shells. Clouds of dust blurred his view as dirt continued to fall from the ceiling. He heard voices and steps in the distance and decided to follow them with the expectation of finding an exit.

Before the attack commenced, Veteran Commissar Julius Lehman knew his fate was to die for the glory of the Imperium and the prestige of his family, but ignored it would be like this. After receiving the first transmission from z4 and confirming a barrage order, his suspicions on the Greenskins were corroborated, the scouts would not return. Post e4 confirmed an advancing Waagh as well, then C3, G6-1, T2, M6 P5-7 and U9 in a matter of seconds. A whole front , spanning over 12 nations, half a continent, 237 major agricultural manufactorums and 900 towns was of thousands of refugees would die should they not act on time. Commissar Lehman had failed to prevent disaster. He knew that a Waaagh could not be stopped but only delayed, at least to save as many as possible.

Lehman then recorded one last personal message and sent a distress signal, confirming the presence of a Waagh on Seperus Prime. Commissar Lehman left the communications tent, which immediately started dismantling the equipment and sent people to activate the alarms.

An ambiance of rush and mischief took immediate control of the headquarters. Supplies and ammunition were being packed, mass graves being dug, crippled and comatose were executed, civilians and non combatants evacuated and volunteers prepared for the last stand. Lehman walked towards a guardsman and handed him a paper with coordinates:

"Sergeant Major Lucius, we have a broken front, and a Waagh incoming. Ready your men, I need a continuous barrage on this area."

"But sir, this is z4."

"I know."

"Are you sure there's no survivors there, sir?"

"Did you hear me stutter or say otherwise?" the Commissar interrupted.

"No, sir"

"Then carry on."

The sergeant saluted as he gave the sign to his men to get moving. A battery of 30 long cannons was revealed, calibrated and charged by groups of 6 men each

The Commissar moved his head in disapproval, it was not enough to contain a waagh. He then reached out for another officer passing by:

"Lieutenant, ready the mortar. Now."

As he gave the order, the 450 mm mortar was revealed. A massive weapon. The 10 operators loaded it in less than a minute and looked at the Commissar nodding as they were ready to fire. The Commissar then unsheathed his sword and potently screamed:

"In the name of the Emperor, send those Greenskins into oblivion. FIRE!"

The guns fired furiously first in unison and then in uninterrupted sequence. They would take out as many as possible. The mortar round tore through the sky, humming as a falling vessel. The round found its target, and tore a hole

near the ammunition crates. When Vader realized what would happen it was almost too late. An explosion made the tunnel crumble and collapse as Vader mustered all his energy to run as fast as possible from the rubble and fire. He managed to escape as the few active lights faded away leaving a small illuminated entrance to a lower level in order to avoid the destroyed tunnels.

The light of his saber was the only illumination inside the sewers. His right leg appeared to require maintenance. The stench of manure and feces disrupted his smelling, but yet Darth Vader was still vigilant and alert in all the other senses.

He kept walking without any order, as if he intended to get lost rather than find his way out. A small group of civilians appeared at the end of a narrow passage in front of him. Their clothes were dirty and torn, their faces full of fear, desperation and sorrow, and their eyes kept staring at Vader with an expression of disbelief and anguish, assuming their possible fate. In the middle of the crowd two figures moved, one to the back and other to the front. A young man appeared, wearing a sober wood colored robe with some necklace, depicting a skull. A consecrated man in his prime, who appeared to be some kind of a priest. The priest put himself in front of the mob. His lower lip trembled as he attempted to maintain a weak yet defiant frown. He then spoke:

"Stay away from them, heretic"

Vader gazed directly into the young priest's eyes. He saw humble bravery. A few guardsmen limped their way into the front and stood with a serene gaze, aiming their lasguns, drawing knives and swords. Their breathing was almost heavier than Vader's. They have been running from the beasts, Vader assumed. A moment of silence erupted as no one was sure what would happen next.

The posterior advance was difficult for Vader, his breathing was even heavier. His life support was starting to malfunction, and even walking took a part of his force ability.

He was not sure why.

There was no logic behind his deed, and yet did not feel guilty for it. He looked at his hand, burned and disjointed, with cables and screws, bolts and circuits around it. His shoulder hurt and for the first time noticed the pain in his side, close to his liver. A bullet hurt him without even acknowledging. He moved slowly, almost dragging his body. No mortal danger could be used as an excuse for it.

He had spared them and walked away.

He was weak and yet his master did not know. He could not shame or mock him. Vader felt neither remorse or pride. His powers didn't rise and yet, he felt nearly in peace.

His grasp on the force was still strong enough to sense his surroundings. Vader emerged from the ground through a small hatch into a desolate field,where he could see the flickering lights of a battle. Night had arrived. The rain had returned. He felt every drop in the air as if was the first time he ever used the force.

Vader remembered that day In Tatooine, when he couldn't believe his eyes. The first time he saw rain and blessed the heavens. The elders said that some men could live a lifetime and never see rain. Back then, he played on the small puddles and opened his mouth to feel life falling from the heavens. That day he understood in his heart that greatness would be his one day.

Vader's respiration started to choke, as if something pierced his throat and heart. Perhaps this is what Padme felt that day.

An old barn with some harvest machinery, it could be either his grave or his resting area. As he entered the old building, he saw an old vehicle that seemed tempting to repair. Perhaps meditation could help him regain his grip on the force and carry on the quest to find his master. Despite his wounds, he managed to sit comfortably, with his back leaning on one of the wooden walls.

Vader closed his eyes as he remembered his last words:

"There is a ship approaching south, continue 7 rows through that tunnel and take a turn on your left. You will be safe. Go."


	3. Chapter 3: The thief

**Chapter 3:**

**The thief**

It was a hot day. the smell of death was in the air as the sun rose above the spires and towers of Mediolanum. The first strokes of daylight fell over the lower levels as the noise of the manufactorums became stronger, marking the beginning of a new labor turn. The relentless sound of machines was just below deafening: engines buzzing, metal clanking, pistons and hammers stomping, electricity running, chimneys burning.

The servitors carried the bundles of armor plates and steel chassis to be shipped and assembled on other worlds into vehicles and armor. They always made sure to calculate the ideal weight for their mechanical augmentations in order to maximize their performance. That was their best and only function. This was all that remained of their existence after all, as once sentient and emotional beings they betrayed The Emperor's will and were confined to be soulless slaves. Their fellow workers were considered the scum of this world, minor offenders of the Imperium. Confined to the assembly lines and raw material processing under constant surveillance of the mechanicus.

In the midst of this organized chaos, few noticed a ball of light flashing on a dark corner close. It could be as well another working blowtorch. But it was the way of entry for an old and fragile man, which erratically walked away from the flashing light. He stood up wearing a dark and sober tunic with a hood, seemingly clean and untouched by the lighting. A taller figure with a glowing mask approached and pushed him around as he calmly walked into the production line. He turned around and quickly tried to imitate the movement of the others. The strange man gazed around him and saw no familiar faces. Above him, a glass window covered with ashes depicted a symbol he had never seen: a two headed eagle. It was clear for him this world was beyond his knowledge. His hood was removed from behind. A gray and hideously wrinkled man with pristine white hair, red and yellow eyes and inexpressive mouth. Not so different from the rest. Yet his presence was too somber and restrained compared to the ones around him. The elder kept his work while his neck twitched and his face frowned, as if he was attempting to remember something. He then heard amidst all the thunderous noise, a single drop falling to the floor.

His sharp nose confirmed his suspicions: blood. The smell of gunpowder and the sound of fear. All came from the same direction, from a single source. He grabbed the nearest crate and went on to find it.

Several hours ago, the public waste automatic car passed by one of the narrow streets as many doors opened and rushing figures placed containers on it. Few others threw body bags and severed limbs of servitors. Few minutes later, 5 hooded men jumped into the car, scavenging between the servitor parts for hydraulic augmentations or electronic components and rushing into the nearest alley.

As they gathered to check the loot, one nervously whispered: "This is Sorvitax territory and you know it." The one next to him replied:

"Then we must be quick and we shall be gone before they notice."

As soon as the man finished, 7 men shot them with rifles and pistols. The hooded men ran away from their attackers, clinging as many parts as they could to their chests. The shooters came up from the shadows, revealing men with bronze , grey and pink colored skins, covered by tattoos with intricate patterns and helmets made from different kinds of skulls, from small animals to fully fleshed human skulls. The thinnest of them pulled a knife and readied himself to run after the only two survivors before being stopped by their leader, the tallest of them, with a hand gesture.

He then spoke with a coarse,monotonous voice: "Leave them. The dogs always leave a trail back to their master."

The remaining bodies were looted and dismembered to be put in bags by the others. They might be worth a few credits with the correct butcher. Some of their body fluids could be distilled for water or chems.

The youngest of the fleeing pair separated from his partner and rushed back to his living quarters, while watching his back for any tracker. He paused before entering the barracks and removed his blood stained boots, he would clean them later. His abdomen had been graced by shotgun pellets. He pressed on the wound with rags as he entered the cramped dormitory, where his coworkers enjoyed their scarce three hours of sleep. He bit a dirty shirt while he extracted the shards from his wounds and poured a small bottle of industrial alcohol on them. He used sheets of paper and adhesive tape to try to conceal his injury. As the pain faded away he found a place to sleep. It had been a rough night. No bounty had been recovered, one of his friends died, no big score, only valuable hours of sleep wasted. Perhaps the metal he extracted would be worth something tomorrow. After waking up and cleaning his boots, he entered his normal working shift. His muscles ached and his lack of sleep made his eyelids heavier than usual. He tried to appear normal as he felt a shadow behind him. Someone was walking towards him. He then saw an old man carrying a crate of metal parts. His red and yellow eyes were unnerving, but his wrinkles soothed him as such an elder could not be a threat.

The elder stood aside him, putting the crate on the floor. The young man then decided to break the silence as friendly as possible:

"You are new, right? I have never seen you. Those eyes are from intense heat. Let me guess, Voracum?"

"Perhaps." the old man said playfully.

"Those poor bastards are always close to be burned alive. No wonder many escape here." responded the young man.

The elder looked down as if to prove himself right about his assumptions.

"I see you are wounded." the elder said softly.

"It is nothing." replied the worker while still attending his duty. The moment he finished, the worker felt immense pain.

"You will guide me to your leader." stated the elder. The young man gazed into his eyes with fear and impotence, as it seemed he was being tortured without a single finger being laid on him.

The senior kept opening his wound and tearing his skin apart as the man struggled not to scream in pain and keep working. He nodded as tear rolled down his face.

"After my shift, please. Or my family will suffer." he whispered

"Now. Or your family will die." the ancient replied.

A dark figure, accompanied by two security guards approached them. It was the head Constructor Tech-Priest. He activated his voice translator and addressed them both with a menacing tone:

"What is it you are doing?"

"We are to be taken for waste disposal duty." the ancient answered.

"They are to be taken for waste disposal duty… carry on with it" the Tech-Priest said to the guards while pointing at them. The guards pushed them with their batons into the waste disposal bay.

They both ran away from the manufactorum as soon as they were left alone and the young man took the lead. They passed through narrow alleys and nets of pipelines, barely covered by the sun as the day faded away. They arrived at a black wooden door, where a trail of blood followed under the entrance. The pair stopped by order of the old one, as to rest and meditate their next step.

"The entrance to the main hall, where the boss can be mostly found. Please I beg you, let me go now. If I come in they will kill me." the young one cried.

"You have been useful to me. What is your name young one?" The ancient said

"Karriven." he mumbled

"Do my bidding, Karriven. And you shall fear no more." the elder stated.

They entered the small warehouse, where a prominent, nearly colossal, wooden chair stood at the center over a pedestal, emulating some kind of throne hall. A group of hooded men surrounded a corpse leaning on the wall. It was Karriven's partner. They turned to see the pair and behind them, an outstanding shadow appeared. A gargantuan bloated humanoid with large arms and thick neck: an Ogryn. His kind was known to be brutes, working mules for the furnaces. But he was known to be ahead of the curve.

  
"Whoiz dees shit ?" The Ogryn boss shouted

"You have some serious explaining to do, K. " one of the hooded men stated out loud while unsheathing a long and rusty knife. His fellow gang members readied their weapons as well, being mostly blades or blunt weapons which could channel electricity.

"We mean no harm." said the elder calmly.

"You will only speak when you are told to do so." mentioned one of the hooded men as he put his sword over the old man's throat.

"Address the Great Dirk again and we shall hang you from a chimney using your own entrails." He was restrained by the hand of his leader, at the time the Great Dirk approached this seemingly calm and friendly old man.

"'Watis it you want from de Coal hand?" inquired Dirk .The elder smiled.

Outside, footsteps were heard. The Sorvitax had followed the blood trail to the small door was broken, the gang bursted inside guns blazing but found no resistance. As the smoke from the barrels settled down, they found something beyond their expectations.

The hall was all covered in blood. A pile of dismembered corpses sat at a corner. A massive corpse dangled from the ceiling and two figures were now by the big throne, it was Karriven and the old one with the head of the Great Dirk at their feet. In front of the elder, a pile of electronic and mechanical parts was arranged ready for the taking. Not a word being said, the Sorvitax pillaged the accumulated loot and took the pair as hostages to their lair. Entering an abandoned sewer entrance which connected to the ancient part of the underhive, where tunnels were guarded by the Sorvitax and connected rooms served as laboratories and dorm rooms. They were brought to the main hall to be heard and later executed. It was a dark hall with brick walls, full of loot and guns. At the end stood a throne hall with a bright blue cloaked man sitting on it, it was the mob leader. He ordered his men to release them and stand down with a hand gesture, then stood up and walked towards his new guests:

"Who are you ?" Asked with a mocking tone as he chuckled in disbelief. His grey eyes swiftly scanned both of his prisoners. His brown face skin wrinkled slightly as to indicate a laugh or smile. He turned his eyes to Karriven as he saw his lips moving.

"I- I am the one you expected."

Karriven stuttered.

"I expected no…" he stopped his phrase as he walked to the elder. He then changed his expression to surprise and turned to the young one as if he received great news. The leader returned to his place and standing with both arms open addressed his men with an expressive yet unsettling scowl. All the time he spoke from that moment on, few saw the elder's lips moving along, even whispering.

"My brothers. We have found him! I have been looking for him, and now he has come to us!" said the leader with potent voice.

" He shall become your heir and the only head of this organization should anything happen to you." the elder whispered.

"He shall become my heir and only head of this organization should anything happen to me." The leader spoke out loud. His men were standing as mere spectators, some shook their heads in denial while others turned elsewhere in shame. Despite believing it or not, the men knew these two strangers were powerful and it would not be wise to turn against them.

"This is Sidious. My lieutenant and most trusted man." Karriven continued while pointing at the elder. "He must stay here to plan our next big score. I have prepared it for months now and I have to make sure everything is ready. We shall meet tomorrow." The leader nodded. Sidious stepped forward and walked towards the leader, which received him with a grin and put his arm over his shoulders as they walked away.

"Escort him out, get ready for tomorrow men." That is all that was heard in the hall before the pair was split up.

Karriven walked directly back to the living quarters, with his new bodyguards leaving him at the entrance. His dormitory partners stared at him as he roamed back to his bed. His expression was of terror and his head was full of doubt. He slept as well as he could, thanking The Emperor their plan had worked and that he was still alive. Still, it was clear for him that he was no longer safe.

The next morning, a party of Sorvitax was waiting for him at the entrance of the manofactorum. The strongest of them addressed him:

"The boss is dead. It is time, my lord."

The young one was escorted by the party as they made their way back to their lair. Inside, a row of his new men kneeled before him and nodded in approval on his way to the main hall. He saw one of them writing an inscription on the wall: Graziel, Son of Wisdom. The name of their former leader.

He was covered with a dark blue cloak and sat on the throne with Sidious by his side. a tribute was presented to him: A basket with the heads of those who tried to desert the organization. A tarnished Bolt pistol was handed to him. It was Graziel's sidearm, so he was later told.

" Do not forget who put you here." Sidious softly whispered as Karriven's expression changed into victorious pride.

Karriven held the pistol in the air and stood up in front of his men.

All the Sorvitax raised their firearms, as well as swords and other weapons made of scrap metal. They shouted repeatedly in unison:

"All hail Karriven The Merciless!"

And so it was how Karriven became leader of the Sorvitax, and a new crime lord at gunpoint.

He knew he would die should he disobeyed Sidious, but at least he was now ahead of many problems he shared with most of the city. Food has been scarce for decades and those who have access to it live at the Pinnacle, where the hive guard have still enough fire power to suppress any riot. The tax on the oxygen supply had recently increased for those few who still needed to breathe. Tribes and families dominated districts as gangs. The powerful Mechanicus sect received new implants, new bionic parts, new electronic antiquities every day to turn a blind eye on the crimes of the underhive. Some even received parts from below the lower levels, as it was believed the wisdom of the ancient world had a stronger link with the Omnissiah.

It was a cruel system of greed and violence. The perfect template to create a new empire.

The biggest and most dangerous of the 5 hive cities was the crown jewel of Vorlanthus IV, and yet few could withstand the daily grind within its walls. Soon enough, it would become the heart of the world and the home of its new ruler: Sidious.

And within the dungeons of his new base of operations, as he meditated to strengthen his grip on The Force, something whispered to him...


	4. Chapter 4: The Duel

**Chapter 4:**

**The Duel**

The thunderhawk hummed as it passed over the fields of a now desolate landscape, crowded with smoke columns and the occasional erratic fire clouds created by anti-air rounds. Inside the aircraft, the pilots activated cameras and scanners, which denoted several weak artillery posts, yet scattered enough to create a defensive grid. The fire clouds became more frequent and stronger as the pilots approached the target zone.

The red lights of the reduced ceiling reflected on the black armors of the Astartes. Among them, their commanding officer stood with a lost stare, hanging to a rusty pipe and proudly sporting a scarlet and black sign on his right shoulder, depicting a raven with a drop of blood on its center. A green monitor lit up and the pilot addressed him:

"We are approaching the landing zone Lord inquisitor, but the area remains too dangerous to make a proper landing"

" Make it a rough landing then, we can take it" he responded.

"Yes my lord. 3 minutes."

The Astartes remained calm as most of his team inspected their weapons and equipment to ready themselves for the mission. One of them, sporting a symbol depicting a red fist on a blue background, reached his ammunition pack and connected his belt to a heavy bolter. Another one sharpened his knife and sword, while sporting a white cowl and a white winged sword on a green background on the same right shoulder.

A taller Astartes was polishing his toothed axe after holstering his plasma pistol, while his 4 additional mechanical arms waved and calibrated each other. As a techmarine, they were his best tools and best weapons. His right shoulder proudly sported a shooting star emblem on a blue background, while his helmet sported a black and white skull emblem, the same than his axe. Another one stayed at the back while loading and inspecting his bolter, the red light gave a deep shade to his prominent braided beard and bald head before tucking his facial hair and putting his helmet. He sported a wolf skin on his right shoulder.

The officer stood in front of his team and lectured them with a potent voice:

"My brothers, we are here for a single objective. The planetary scans detected a few hours ago a beam of light which came from the surface of Seperus Prime. Based on field reports, it might be linked to the recent seismic activity on the area. Whatever it is, the fleet believes it is of Xeno origins, as it did not present any resemblance with Warp energy. We find the object, we retrieve it, clear any obstacle and make way for the Exterminatus. Stand by for fast drop."

As the front ramp of the cargo chamber lowered, the engines turned gradually their power down and the ship started soaring at a middle speed few meters above the ground. The team then jumped by pairs, landing on their feet and swiftly rolling to absorb the impact.

The team stood ready immediately and rallied towards their commander forming a circle. In silence they checked their equipment and armor. A fellow Astartes joined them quietly since he delayed his jump. A relatively young apothecary, wielding bionic servo arms in case of medical need. The Captain remembered his name, Nikolas Talius. The white dragon figure of his black and green coated shoulder reminded him of the diversity of his team and the syncretism that separated all the chapters. He then whispered:

"Status report"

"Gunnar standing by" the heavy bolter Astartes responded.

"Zygvvard standing by" confirmed the bearded Astartes.

"Evander standing by" said the techmarine.

"Quirinus standing by" the cowled Astartes stated.

"Talius standing by" the young apothecary answered.

"All set, Captain Vendar" responded the cowled Astartes.

The Captain cocked his stalker bolter and said with steady voice:

"Team Avalon, we're on the move".

The squad advanced slowly covered by the dark night and smoke from distant fires.

War was no new thing for Captain Vendar, and yet he felt blood rushing through his veins and one of his two hearts beating stronger than usual. He was excited to serve the Ordo again. All of his team and him sported the emblem on their left shoulder, embedded in intricate patterns of silver and gold. An I and a skull with crossbones, a symbol of the Imperial Inquisition. They were Astartes. They were Space Marines. They were a Kill team of the Deathwatch.

Their advance was swift yet constant, covering each others backs and protecting both the apothecary and the techmarine at the center of their formation. The barren marsh was full of mortar holes and bullet shells. Boulders and destroyed vehicles completed the landscape. A crater allowed the team to see the immense underground tunnels, now nothing more than useless structures filled with rubble. A small patrol of orks was coming from the northwest. The team took cover behind boulders and rubble. The orks advanced directly into their ambush an were dispatched quickly with melee weapons. They continued to a rotten plant field. Gunnar stepped on the corpse of a half torn guardsman under the mud and got his foot stuck inside its open rib cage, producing both disgust and grief. He shook the dead body off his boot and softly talked, as if he was pronouncing a eulogy for the unknown fallen:

" Two hundred and forty five years of battle and I am still impressed at their bravery." Vendar approached him as the others advanced: "It is then our duty to fight and avenge them. Move on." They kept up the pace and arrived at what appeared to be a grain processing plant.

The echo of empty grain silos and beating tubes forced the Astartes to be on guard, as another Greenskin patrol might be close. The silence of the wind seemed to prove otherwise.

A friendly voice broke the muteness with a whisper:

"The radiation levels are raising. Electromagnetic scans show a trail in the air that marks a trajectory. It might be our target" The techmarine affirmed.

They encircled Evander as he walked slowly, guided by his tracking device and brain implants. They reached the edge of what appeared to be the former command post, the epicenter of the earthquake few hours ago. They stood on a chunk of dirt at the edge of the colossal crater filled with removed earth. The team stopped and created a half moon defensive perimeter for their techmarine. he took a knee as his mechanical arms collected stones and created a laser grid to make a topographic map of that small portion of ground.

" This is it, Captain. The instruments show intense spikes of the unknown energy source."Evander stated.

" But there's no impact zone. Only some burned marks" Vendar replied. Talius pointed at a trail of dragged mud and footprints. Evander's scanner confirmed they carried a significant amount of that alien energy.

In a second they all knew. Whatever their target was,it was alive and moving.

The techmarine turned around and looked to the southwest. One of his mechanical limbs pointed the same way.

"There is an airborne energy spike in that direction. It is not far from here" he stated. Captain Vendar nodded and the team returned to the initial formation while he started briefing to his team: This confirms the message of the intercepted guardsmen transmission about that unidentified subject. Whatever or whoever it is, we bring it back alive for analysis, team Avalon."

Quirinus peeked at the immense earthquake zone one last time.

"If a damned Xenos did this, this should be fun" he murmured while remaining in formation with his power sword and bolter pistol.

They followed the trail into an the entrance of an old barn at the back of a farming compound, relatively close to the grain processing plant. With a hand command, Vendar sent Zygvvard and Quirinus forward to investigate the place.

They entered the old barn, walking slowly and turning in all directions with their weapons pointing upfront. They stopped at the middle of the ancient place. Zygvvard lowered his bolter and lifted his head to inspect the ceiling. The holes created small beams of now clear moonlight. His night vision allowed to spot a dark shadow grabbing the wall of a dark corner. Some kind of humanoid creature that suddenly extended its arm towards him.

The bearded marine turned back at the rest of their team in an abrupt movement a split second before pulling his bolter trigger.

"What is it you see?" Captain Vendar asked.

The marine remained silent. His glowing eyes kept staring at his team while their commander reached for his weapon. He knew something was wrong. Zygvvard fell on the ground as a cracking was heard along with the clanking of metal. His neck had been broken.

The team readied their weapons and started walking slowly as they tried to reach their surviving teammate. An ominous sound started to echo on the brittle structure: a beast, breathing. Slowly yet full of rage and ready to attack. Gunnar saw a dark, thin shadow moving behind Quirinus. By the time he reacted and tried to warn his teammate, it was too late. A beam of red light appeared in the dark and the shadow jumped into Quirinus' back. The red beam started cutting and scratching on his back, tearing through the ceramite layers and using his victim for cover. The leftover part of the team took aim and tried to move around their teammate searching for a clear shot, but to no use. Quirinus heard every swift and bold strike of the red light blade and felt the suit being disconnected from its solar power source, its temperature regulation, its extra oxygen. In a matter of seconds, his suit had become too cumbersome for his own sake. He struggled to move but was able to get the monster off his back. Quirinus felt the temperature rising and the oxygen in his helmet being contaminated by a burnt circuit smoke, making it difficult to breathe. They stood in front of each other as the cowled Astartes took off his helmet, revealed his blond hair and scarred face. The foes examined each other under the thin moonlight with the rest of the team on Quirinus' back. The powerful super soldier stood in front of a wounded monster. He held his weapon with one hand as his other appeared to be severely damaged. "This was the Xeno the reports mentioned: Darth Vader" thought Quirinus. Vader charged forward with fury seen only in few warriors. The sword clashed and the combat began. There was no comparison regarding strength, since Quirinus dealt relentless blows. But they were still repelled, parried and redirected by Vader, who scratched part of the arm protectors as to determine the thickness of the remaining armour. He was analyzing his foe as he attempted to disarm him with several stances, thrusts, slashes and blocks. Techniques proven to be effective the hard way by Vader himself.

It took him several strikes, but he managed to create a gap of opportunity by luring his opponent to deal a massive strike. Vader lowered his guard and body while stepping back, Quirinus responded raising his sword over his shoulder to deal a massive blow. Vader pushed him using the force. As his opponent stepped back and unintentionally looked up, Vader thrusted his weapon into the Astartes' throat. The Astartes chuckled as he appeared to not feel any pain and severed his opponent's hand. Vader disappeared into the dark ceiling while the rest of the team finally joined the fight. Quirinus sat on the ground and held his wound as Talius ran towards him, watching for any activity over his head. The moment the apothecary put his hand on the cowled Astartes, he exhaled his last breath. A second marine had fallen to Vader.

The remaining members formed a circle protecting each others backs and pointing to the ceiling. Vader reappeared on the roof as a dark figure watching over his enemies. The team instinctively aimed at him and opened fire, tearing massive holes on the rooftop. From what remained of the ceiling, the red light sword appeared as a floating entity that illuminated Vader's mask.

The lightsaber flew and cut a rope dropping a saw wheel, probably extracted from the one of the harvesting vehicles. It crushed Gunnar's heavy bolter and cut his arm open. Blood started dripping from the Astartes thick armor as he walked towards the apothecary who attempted to conceal his wounds while their partners opened fire on Vader's position. Gunnar unholstered his bolter pistol to cover Talius.

"This is your last chance to come out. We know who you are. What you did to those guardsmen. Step forward or die, Darth Vader".

A ball of electricity appeared amongst the Astartes and exploded, leaving them on the ground, with the exception of Evander who was assisted by his mechanical limbs. The flying lightsaber floated and became one more a disc of death, approaching Evander. The techmarine waved his bionic arms and shot his plasma pistol in all directions, trying to hit his target in the dark. One by one they were intercepted and cut with various saber strikes. The red beam disappeared and silence reigned inside the ancient barn. The team put itself back together and stood on guard. Evander, now without any mechanical limbs, remained on guard as he panted and turned around in circles, looking for his adversary. He felt Vader's presence on his back. The techmarine aimed his plasma pistol at him. As soon as his finger felt the trigger submitting to the push of his finger, his arm was violently moved by Vader's force ability, shooting at one of the old vehicles inside and hitting its exposed gasoline tank. Vader's contraptions and failsafes had worked. The former exploded, chaining the other two vehicles outside and creating enough force to throw everyone through the walls of the now destroyed barn. The Astartes rose and regrouped. Gunnar kept pressing his wound as it appeared his nanobots and Talius were not enough to keep his wound shut due to the new shrapnel.

The team found Vader as he was about to stand up. his robotic right leg was missing its foot, leaving it as a simple stump where he could barely lay his weight on. He remained static while his saber started trembling, preparing to be launched and strike again. Captain Vendar remained calm glimpsing into his team, craving now for the Xenos' blood. He used a hand command to set the team into formation and ready their weapons.

The saber was lit and flew as a deadly projectile, but was shot and thrown away by an explosion, the explosion of a bolter round. The whole team fired to the ground at his rounds exploded, lifting Vader and throwing him back at a middle distance. He rolled on the ground to finally end with his back on it. The Astartes looked at their now neutralized hostile.

His chest pad was destroyed, with sparks and cables spilled around suit had been stabbed by shards of debris, ripped open by the explosion, revealing a scorched body, full of blisters, lacerations, open wounds. Parts of showing flesh were pierced with shards of hot iron. The helmet was cracked open, revealing a freshly burned part of Vader's scalp. He vaguely resembled a human, one which appeared to be in pain beyond any possible measure. His right leg was bent inward, exposing its metal structure. His right arm had been ripped off and his left arm was crushed into a twisted metal rod, damaged beyond any repair. It was over. The Astartes, panting and scoffing in relief, approached their target to take a better look at him. The team pointed their firearms at the disgusting creature and gripped their teeth, tempted to end its miserable existence.

Life was fading away from Vader. Perhaps this would be a good way to die, he thought. Far from his mistakes, far from his sins, by the hand of mighty warriors in the heat of war. He felt his artificial ears failing, his artificial lungs slowing down, his vocal cords losing its sound. He was now truly close to abandon the life that tortured him. He then heard it:

"Hold your fire! We must take him alive. Talius, he is all yours"


	5. Chapter 5: Proposals

Chapter 5:

**Proposals**

The table was set and the appetizers were distributed amongst the waiters and servants, both impeccably dressed. The luscious trays included exotic caviars from different feral world marine species, deviled mushrooms with caramelized onions and Birri truffles prepared with variants of imported spices into a tasty paste, Snow cow and High goat cheeses adorned by thin sliced charcuterie, bowls of fresh colorful fruit, baskets with golden brown toasts and handmade crackers. Four sommeliers served Grand Reserve and Triple Stilled Amesec as well as imported fortified Gleece, Vintage Raenka, Craft Ales and non alcoholic fruit punch amongst the guests.

A perfect variety to open the pallet of the many remarkable personalities within the massive ball room. Most of them would stare at the deserted landscape through the massive windows of the great hall ignoring the red and brown thick clouds on the sky. Others would simply talk about their day to day banalities and close commercial deals. They were men and women, rich tycoons accompanied by their voluptuous lovers and extravagantly adorned families. Among them, their host was holding a conversation with the governor and several members of the Consortium, while holding a cup of Gleece between his hands. His pristine hair and soft wrinkles depicted a rich grown man full of jovial energy, wisdom and experience. His attire and jewelry were of civilian nature, yet its colors and design irradiated the flamboyant looks of a military high born. His whole aura was charming yet restrained.

" I'm veritably humbled that you could join us in my welcome ball, Lord Governor. Same goes for you milady." He cordially stated while smiling.

He bowed and kissed the hand of the governor's wife as she answered the salutation:

"It is a breath of fresh air to have such a splendid guest and such a gorgeous event on this time of the year. Only bad news and misfortunes have followed us lately."

"Mighty Emperor. How so?" The host asked.

"Crime has risen out of control and have started to worry some of our close collaborators. Especially with the death of our friend Counselor Trevius by one those underhive …"

The governor interrupted her with a severe, almost enraged voice.

" I have already told you, the security corps and the Mechanicus are doing all that is possible to capture and execute the murderers. Right now we only know the syndicate's name but the truth about these Sorvitax will be know shortly."

He withdrew a cloth napkin from his uniform and wiped with it the sweat from his forehead and scalp. He then cleared his throat and nervously smiled at the host while returning the napkin to his inner pocket. He then proceeded:

"We are most delighted with your arrival to this, our humble world, Lord Palpatine. Please make yourself at home"

"Thank you so much governor" he answered. "I truly intend to call this world home. And please, call me Sheev."

"Lord Sheev. It is a great honor to have you here. With your pardon, may I inquire the nature of your migration?"

Palpatine sipped his cup and responded while glaring at it, holding it playfully like a well versed connoisseur:

"My great grandfather always said that The God Emperor blesses all those who dare fight and work in distant worlds in his holy name."

He looked back at the ruling couple with a smile:

"Such way is how my family have survived in Nova Thulium by generations in the first place"

"N-Nova Thulium?"The governor stuttered. "Have you come all the way from Ultramar itself, my lord ?" He Followed up.

Some of the guests turned discretely their heads in order to better hear the conversation, even trying to look at them with the corner of an eye.

"It was an arduous trail. The preparation alone took time beyond the original schedule. Nevertheless I now see it was worth it."

He looked elsewhere with a concerned face and continued:

"Our plants are dazzling with production, like our crops. Nevertheless, our Promethium demand has recently been blocked in Konor due to the pesky unions and Mechanicus authorities who envy my family and sanctioned us. It has hurt our shares and made me think about new opportunities in distant worlds."

The small circle of people leaned towards Palpatine, as if they waited for a specific word.

"So... I'd be delighted to acquire some manufactorum stock and shares to help boost our economies and perhaps open a direct trade partnership with Ultramar." He concluded.

Those who heard in the distance, walked swiftly towards the small circle and tried to join the conversation as amiably and naturally as possible. He became the center of attention while the music became partially louder. Serene waltzes and folk pieces invited people to take over the dance floor. Surrounded by his new cohort, Sidious retired to a more discreet conference room.

The room remained shut while the rest of the guests enjoyed the company, the feast and dancing of the reclusive host. The hours passed by and when dusk appeared on the horizon, the conference room resounded with applause and bursts of pompous laughter, followed by Palpatine's summary of the new agreement:

"Then it is decided, gentlemen. I shall then pay 625 million in advance for 125 million shares worth from the top 16 manufactorum, 200 million worth in steel chassis stock 100 million worth in land and warehouses, brilliant proposal by Mr. Ludwicks dare I say, and the rest worth in laminate armor plate stock. The next payment will come after the first loading. Our trading fleet takes 5 years to make the trip. If my calculations are correct, in less than 20 years we will be enjoying 1000% of our current investment. "

A servant appeared from behind Palpatine and handed glasses of Amasec to the attendants. Palpatine then stood up, followed by his guests:

"I propose then a toast. To the greatness of this world and the future of its people. Emperor protects"

" Emperor protects" the rest repeated as their glasses touched. While they were drinking, the governor, sat by Palpatine's right side, noticed something. A small pale elder remained seated, his glass untouched. He instinctively addressed this figure:

"Are you not joining us Lord Remus?"

The old man answered out loud, reaching for all the attendants in the room:

"I see your memory and your intelligence are smaller than your greed, my dear colleagues."

The room became abruptly silent. The old man stood up and looked at the table while combing his prominent mustache with his fingers, as if thinking and preparing to give a speech. He then looked Palpatine in the eye and kept talking:

"If I join this initiative, gentlemen, I would go against my friend Trevius and his last will, along with my family's legacy. He envisioned a Vorlanthus where The Emperor's glory could shine through all of its most illustrious people, not only a few of them. I was dragged here by curiosity, now I will see my way out. Nevertheless, I wish you The Emperor's blessings on this project."

He departed the room on a rush with his hands behind his back.

Palpatine stared at the ancient one's back with a small grin on his mouth, his eyes glowed in interest before he kept attending his new partners.

The next day, Lord Remus left the majestic superbness of his Imperial Gothic manor for his regular morning walk, on the middle levels just below the toxic clouds, still within range of the hive security corps. The brittle and hunched figure walked thoughtfully through the polluted streets with his mask on, dwelling on the recent event. His stomach churned while he thought about investing that much resources and trust on somebody who essentially remained a complete stranger. A messenger walked with an accelerated pace and reached him, with a letter in his hand.

"My master has invited you to his house my lord"

Remus took the letter with a swift move. It was a handwritten invitation. He nodded and thought about further inquiring this cryptic man.

He followed the servant and entered a relatively modest mansion, most of its structure followed a tainted, crude gothic style but with an small inner courtyard, splendidly adorned by a hanging garden. Palpatine was enjoying tea while admiring the beauty of his hanging natural spectacle on his splendid blue couch.

" Lord Remus, I'm glad you accepted my invitation. Please, take a seat. If you are hungry I can procure you anything for breakfast.

Remus nodded and sat in silence on a sculpted wooden chair.

"Beautiful, is it not?" Palpatine continued while glaring at his garden under the early morning sunlight. "Reminds me of my former home. I have also acquired plants from other agri worlds during my journey."

Remus remained silent and rolled his eyes around to find Palpatine again, speaking then with a monotonous voice:

"Let us not digress any further. What is your interest on me, Lord Palpatine?"

Palpatine finished his cup and put it away on a small table.

"I admire your bravery and conviction, Lord Remus. I consider you as a valuable asset to our operation. Your expertise within this sector makes you a potential consultant and personal adviser."

Palpatine reclined on his seat while Remus moved his chair forward.

"I hope you have read about Vorlanthus and its history during your trip, Lord Palpatine. 1600 years ago a man named Auron Herschwood came offering a vast amount to start his own Manufactorum. He used his property as a cover, where he started reuniting servants and high born children for massive intoxicated orgies as a way to invoke the power and favor of Slaneesh. The rich man was a rogue trader and a Chaos cultist who claimed the lives of many, until the Inquisition barely stopped him before Exterminatus. My ancestor, Paridon Remus, gathered his most trustworthy allies and established the Consortium, so no man could drag our wealth away or our souls into Chaos again."

Palpatine leaned forward and glared at the garden once more before returning to Remus:

"I have heard of this story... which is why I can trust a man like yourself to keep my actions in check. I would be tempted to pay you one third of your total shares in advance, 29 million as my initial offer."

Remus smiled and pushing the chair back stood on his feet.

"My manufactorum is not for sale. Neither is my dignity, Lord Palpatine"

"I understand" he muttered.

"Things here are not like in Ultramar, you must know. The Imperium might have almost casted us aside but we can still fend for ourselves. If you insist on this matter or if your actions put us at risk, I shall be forced to put you down by more...unconventional methods" Remus concluded.

"Would you, then?" Palpatine smiled. "Thank you for your time Lord Remus. Good day." He followed up with a relaxed, almost melodic tone and walked away. Remus left the place with a quiet pace.

As the daylight faded away, Remus thought about using his boys in order to give him a cautionary fright, after all they were the best at their job, so was his opinion. He was not the only one patronizing underhive gangs: "what is to be ashamed of?" He thought. Remus arrived to his personal office, where he enjoyed checking the manifests and production reports in order to keep everything in order.

The terrifying distant noise took him by surprise.

An explosion was heard at the middle lower part of the city, not far from Remus' house. The news arrived some minutes later via his communicator: his furnaces had exploded, destroying half his manufactorum and rendering a third of his stock useless. He heard a startled voice on the communicator while he received the news, it was a worker being interrogated:

"It wasn't us mylord, it was the Tech Priests, they just altered the coolant levels and smashed the controls. They turned the cauldrons over and burned everything...some of them started killing everyone. It was as if something possessed them."

Remus felt a shiver and shook his head in disbelief. Cold sweat covered his forehead and the hair on the back of his neck stood firm to its root. He had no option but to put himself to work. He went down to the manufactorum, saw the havoc with his own eyes: the twisted structures, burning fire and glowing molten metal. A hellscape

That worsened by the minute. Remus had little to no sleep that night as he gathered some consultants and witnesses bringing them back for an assessment and a financial analysis.

He was almost broke. The legacy of his family was almost erased. He looked for support from his consortium associates the next day, but due to a reform they required authorization from all members, including its most recent: Lord Palpatine.

The very next day, he searched for other close friends for loans or support. They all had sold parts of their stock to Palpatine.

Remus had no option.

He looked for Palpatine a week later and accepted the deal for half the price, being later the owner of only a fifth part of his former wealth.

That very day, after signing the agreement and returning home, Palpatine looked at the horizon, thinking about his accomplishment. All was working as planned, he had more than half of the city and the Consortium under his influence. It had been a month since he left the underhive but his mind was still there, planing how to move his new pawns for the next step.

From a small tarnished bookshelf, Palpatine took a book as big as his forearm and placed it on the table. He opened the book and wrote in one of its blank pages:

"Trevius served me well. I am less than 5 weeks apart from taking over Mediolanum. Karriven has already contacted with Voracum and Pteridar. Negotiations will begin soon."

A dark thick ink started to appear on the book. Ininteligible signs rearranged into letters.

"One of my psychers would have destroyed the manufactorum faster than The Force." it read.

"Then it would draw the attention, and leave a stream of Warp energy back to us." he wrote.

"I expect fruitful results, Sidious. Vorlanthus IV must fall by the turn of the year"

"By then, the whole system will be ours" the writing replied.

" Fulfill your destiny then, prove yourself a worthy emperor, dear friend."

A deep laughter was heard in the air while the wind blew on Sidious' face. A flash emerged from the book and crawled from Sidious' hand all the way to his head and face. His eyes glowed with the energy of Chaos and closed the book the same way a beast trap. Several blue feathers appeared on his hand and forearms to fade away seconds later. He had pleased the Lord of Change...


	6. Chapter 6: Broken

It was a never ending nightmare.

He was on a dark corridor illuminated by the thunder of a nocturnal storm. He saw a figure and walked towards him. He then roughly grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. It was the slave boy. Small and fragile yet his eyes were full of rage. Staring at him. He turned around and saw her: an old woman, dressed in humble slave clothing, looking at him in disappointment and disgust. He could not stand a sight of them and with a swift slash from his sword dispatched them both. He then turned around and found them again. His rage augmented and slayed them without hesitation. Then, a younger woman joined them. She was modestly dressed and yet, her glowing face and proper pose revealed something about her: she was no ordinary woman, she was a queen. Her eyes started tearing and her expression changed into one of rage and impotence. Her eyes cut through Vader's stare like a poisoned blade, and so Vader responded slashing her with his lightsaber. He then saw the three again and kept trying to end them.

No matter where he turned, no matter how many he killed, they were always there: The lady, the boy, the queen. Then, flashes. Sensations, images, memories of

all the beings he had slain, all the lives he ended, the families he maimed. All what he suppressed on behalf of the Jedi code.

He felt his suit burning to his skin, sticking to it as a calcinating torture. His eyes were being pierced by the helmet sockets. Cables crawled under his bones and muscles. He could not scream and felt fire coming from his insides and exiting through his mouth. He felt his rage inside his heart and focused on that emotion. The pain became bearable and he tried to use The Force on himself. Inadvertently, it all faded into white.

He woke up and tried to stand, but could not since he was missing his limbs. He was laying on a metal surface, resembling some kind of table or altar. He knew he was not alone and decided to look at his right side.

A figure dressed in a blood colored robe with white details was examining his body, opening gaps within his limbs and torso, as if to see where his body parts ended and his robotic life support started. Two emerald lights and a tube came out of what appeared to be its face, under a connected mask.

He turned around and saw a row of 3 similar robed men whispering and chanting. He seemed to be part of a ritual and his clutches would not allow him to move out of it. Vader changed from doubt and surprise to rage and confusion, preparing mentally for the fight. The instruments and the bed of operations started shaking, as Vader attempted to use The Force now with his limbless body. One of the beings addressed him with a transmitter, speaking with a soft whispering voice:

"The link with The Warp is strong with you, brother. But your dedication has made possible for you to still reconcile with the Omnissiah. Please let us finish, let the Mechadendrites do their work. We promise no unnecessary pain."

"Mechadendrites", that was the name of the mechanical limbs, Vader thought. Somehow, this trivial revelation distracted his mind and he unflinched his neck. He kept staring at the row of strange beings praying, chanting, whispering.

He then remembered it. His last fight with the gargantuan mighty warriors, the explosions that wounded him. He should not by any account be alive, and yet there he was.

Vader turned his head upwards and noticed his breathing was heavyweights was no more. He was connected to a respirator, making a soothing, fluent sound, as if it were his own lungs. Maybe he could sleep for a few moments before they finished.

Few moments ago at another place, a shadow pushed a button. A monitor was lit up and a dark figure appeared on the screen. A voice saluted the shadow:

"Lord Inquisitor"

"Captain Vendar. We are much satisfied with your progress and find your methods as free of heresy, adequate for the Inquisition. Collect all information possible from his testimony and bring him to Galathar station."

"I must insist on declining the interrogation and ending this Xeno's life, my lord." The Captain responded, face lit by the monitor.

"The need of such a threat is virtually useless, for we can take whatever data is necessary from his lifeless corpse, or by using a Psyker. Also, he presents energy and marks related to Chaos, he could become a portal for Chaos Daemons to appear as far as we know." Vendar concluded.

"Must I remind you of your obedience duty with the Deathwatch and your extraoficial circumstances, Captain?" The shadow replied. "Your team still serves under Epistolary Galius and Brother Chaplain Mordran, which specifically instructed you to stick to your orders.

The files provided by the Mechanicus team will further inform you. The information they possess is a complement of your prime directive, the cypher unlocked by the Omega Vault, linked to this Xeno. Finish your assignment as requested, Captain."

"Yes, Lord Inquisitor" Vendar answered and saluted as the screen shut down.

He left the room quietly yet gripped his teeth in discontent. He hit the wall, bending the surface where his fist landed. It had been 10 years since they embarked on the assignment, and although the Captain's faith remained strong, his patience was growing weary. Most of the missions had no tactical sense or had scarce background information. He walked into the lift and descended while trying to remain calm.

While the ritual took place, Captain Vendar walked along with the Magus and the Genetor in silence down the hallway. The Magus was using his arachnid legs to keep up his pace and the Genetor was walking by the other side, using his Mechanicus staff as a walking cane.

They were at the bottom levels of the Solitudinem, a Kill Ship. Four hours before, the last ship had left orbit heading for the Warp gate. The Ultramarines fleet had provided 2 transport cruisers to evacuate as many civilians as possible, supporting the rest of the Imperial navy which surrounded them. While the world was finally set aflame, the Solitudinem remained well hidden as the fleet left the orbit, later remaining as the only imperial vessel left, cloaked by its camouflage system.

Captain Vendar reflected about the nature of his guests, almost astonished: They were both sent with 5 Tech Priests and a servitors team, Segmentums away from a holly Mechanicus world. They were awoken by Chiron.

Although a million doubts assaulted his mind, The Astartes preferred to inquire on his retrieved objective:

"How is he?"

The Genetor turned his translator on and with a coarse, static voice, answered in Low Gothic:

"His condition has been stabilized and his basic structure presents damage but is still functional. His biological main drive is now online although the integrated cogitator and its vital support systems have been rendered useless due to shrapnel."

"Have you narrowed down his possible origin?" He further questioned

The Magus responded with a higher pitched voice:

"Although it resembles some of the Tau basic armor, his suit presents symbols unknown for my Tec Brethren. He could easily be mistaken as a heretic, but some of our team speculate that he could follow the Omnissiah as well. His life is deeply linked with the Machine Spirit and depends on it for his existence, not so different from us: His voice, his basic needs, his very breath. Truly a perplexing specimen."

Vendar stared into the emptiness of the hallway while his mind slipped into recent memories. The rage of losing two Space Marines under his command against an insignificant foe was something he could not tolerate and pushed his patience even forward. He snapped back into the conversation.

"Your superiors have instructed us to provide you this information." The Genetor stated. A flying skull with electronic components and a blue light on its right eye socket floated forward and landed into Vendar's hand. It was a Servo-skull.

Vendar thanked them and retreated to a small room where he connected it to a cogitator. The screen immediately lit up and a charging bar appeared. Whatever it was, it would take some time to decode. Vendar's earpiece resounded with static, followed by a fast paced voice:

"Mylord, we have a situation"

"What is it ?" he replied.

"We have multiple contacts."

Vendar jogged out of the room and into the ift at the end of the hallway. He went up and appeared at the control room, in front of an electronic display table with images of the fleet and their location, currently arranged into an arrow formation. At the other side a monitor showed the face of a young bald man with a red robe and a tattoo on his forehead,it was Chiron, the ship's A.I, A War Spirit.

* * *

"How many do you detect ?"

"Nine for the moment, the planetary scans point out no other activity." Chiron affirmed.

"Keep an eye for more movement, set all systems on attack mode."

"Aye, Captain" Chiron responded.

"Eavy Landas, according to my database." A deep voice spoke from behind. It was Evander, who entered the room. Talius and Gunnar followed him from behind, taking places at different sides around the table.

"Orkish Transport aircraft. Although these must have been modified to move through space. Damn crafty Greenskins" Vendar replied.

"They move slowly but can transport up to a hundred or more each" Evander resumed.

The team contemplated the table, being their heavy breathing the only communication between them. A voice broke the silence:

"If we leave them, they will become a problem for the next world they encounter" Talius argued.

"It is not our problem, our mission has been completed. We must return as ordered." Evander retorted

"They are enemies of the Imperium!" Talius acknowledged, raising his voice.

"They survived because the Ultramarines failed!" Evander yelled.

The squad hushed as Vendar looked up to see what remained of his team now squabbling. He examined them and took a deep breath to speak:

"We are the champions of Man, inheritors of our mighty God Emperor. We are Astartes, just like our Ultramarine brothers. And an Astartes never fails unless there is heresy involved. Are you a heretic, Evander?"

"No, Captain" Evander nodded in resignation.

Vendar looked over his shoulder and delivered a swift series of commands to Chiron:

"Adjust the trajectory, engage the cogitator and ready the main firing batteries, maneuver 0763-50, activate code Classificatae, calculate the course for a proper pick up point."

"It will be done" Chiron answered.

"Talius, you, Gunnar and me will drop on the Landas on the left flank , destroy them for good one by one. Evander, you will stay and assist Chiron by eliminating the rest on the right with Thunderfire Cannon support. Should we fall, it is your duty to complete our mission. All you need is in my personal cogitator and in that Xeno. Now move it,Team Avalon"

Evander took place at a screen near the observation deck where he connected his armour and helmet to the control mainframe and turret systems.

The three remaining Astartes descended to the middle level into the armory. They equipped a jump pack each, Chainswords and bolter pistols for close quarters, a Meltagun, a Lascannon and a Heavy Bolter for ranged attacks, along with explosive charges.

They entered the landing bay and the door sealed them inside. Gunnar approached to a lever and looked at Captain Vendar as the team readied their helmets. The brave Captain mumbled their warcry, not as a zealous conviction, but as a plain statement, which echoed in a similar tone by the others:

"For The Emperor".

A hatch opened and from it, the Space Marines were thrown into the dark of space. The team started their jump packs and soared into the massive ships, which opened fire at the now visible Kill Ship. The vessels barely moved, it seemed, appearing to be vulnerable in the eyes of the Astartes, yet their fire was intense and constant. The impulse from the jump packs was enough for the Space Marines to hit their target, landing feet first.

Talius tore through the thick armor of the Landa with his Meltagun and found some gretchins from between the walls, which the team hurled into the outer space. The second layer was thicker but no match for the Meltablast, leaving a wide breach where the squad entered using their jump packs. The flying Greenskins were violently sucked out by the void until a Mega Nob blocked the entrance with its very body, leaving it twisted while it howled in pain, trapped within its own armour.

The team landed on the main floor and opened fire on the remaining Boyz, yelling with fury and bitterness.

The Lasrounds and bolts pierced through them as corpses piled into natural cover for the Space Marines. The floor around them became an immense pool of blood and soaked bolt shells. A Lasround penetrated the control room and beheaded one of the pilots, opening a new gap, which became a hole. The team opened the breach using their weapons. They escaped, leaving a demolition charge behind. Once the explosion took place, the Astartes redirected their trajectory and landed on the next Landa. They shot a gap through the haul and kept firing to all the moving targets inside.

They effortlessly tore through the Orks the moment the Heavy Bolter ripped them to shreds and the Lascannon blew their heads by the thirds or pairs. Those who survived could only see a charge dropping as the Space Marines lept for their next target.

The third Landa in an attempt to contain the Astartes opened fire over its own haul, creating a gap through which the team threw the last charge. The biggest of the turrets was pushed by both Gunnar and Talius, unleashing its raging fire on the Landa behind and detonating it from within.

Meanwhile, Evander took manual control of the turrets and with a stoic expression, fired against the roaming Landas. The rounds pounded on the slow ships and exploded through their hauls, leaving more than smithereens and scores of floating butchered Orks. Although the destruction seemed overwhelming, Evander remained steady and could see the real intentions behind his fellow Astartes on erasing this small army: the team was not purging, but mourning.

The team jumped into the last remaining ship and made a hole with what was left of the heavy bolter. They jumped in and fell to the main deck as some kind of emergency hatch sealed them inside. They opened fire on a group of Boyz who immediately engaged them. The Lasrounds and Meltablasts evened the field while the Greenskins tried their best to overrun them. Gunnar discarded the Heavy Bolter and used a Greenskin as a precarious meat shield while he shot his Bolter pistol. Talius dropped his Meltagun and did the same while both provided cover for Vendar. Each shot disarmed or killed an Ork with graceful precision. The sound of empty firearms resounded as the last Boyz charged. The team unsheathes their Chainswords and engaged them. They were too few to be a threat and were easily eliminated. The team then noticed a platform above the main floor and saw a group of hulking Greenskins jumping down.

Six Skarboyz, two MegaNobz and a larger than usual MegaNob, sporting two additional saw tendrils, a massive armour and an a wristmounted Shoota-Skorcha. It was their leader, a new Warboss for the new and now almost extinct Waagh. He spoke with a deep voice:

"Wel, wel, wut do we'ave 'ere? Dem Spaze Marines com ta' finish uz? Then we'z gonna tek 'em widduz! Le's show'em who'z got the dakka boyz! Waaagh!"

The Skarboyz charged first, either with axes, knives, pistols or swords. Behind them, the Mega Nobs tried to split them in half with a sword, a massive axe or with their Power Klawz. The team moved swiftly to avoid the incoming fire. The careless strikes from the Skarboyz costed them their arms and legs, while the MegaNobz almost caught Talius, saved by a bolt from Gunnar as he dispatched the last Skarboy. Vendar sprinted towards the leader and flanked the MegaNobz. the leader shot its Shoota-Skorcha in an attempt to kill him, wounding and burning his last underlings to be finished by Talius and Gunnar.

The Astartes team took their time with the leader. They avoided the incoming fire and pierced through its thick metal armour with their Chainswords. They struck seemingly exposed points and through them thrusted into the Greenskin's flesh, revving their weapons inside the Meganob's body. They dismembered it limb by limb and as it let out its last painful scream, emptied their pistols on its skull. An uprising beeping was heard by the team and they immediately guessed the cause. Somehow the leader seemed to have connected explosives to a remote heartbeat based detonator. The team ran with all their might towards the small cockpit and attempted to seal the door before the explosion.

Evander saw how the last Landa exploded from within.

The Solitudinem maneuvered as swiftly as possible and approximated making a half moon maneuver around the massacred fleet. From inside a ball of bent metal and twisted rubble, Team Avalon emerged and jumped towards their ship.

The jump packs ran out of fuel. Nevertheless, the force behind the last impulse kept the Space Marines floating forward. Vendar and Gunnar reached he hatch and grabbed Talius. The team was alive and seemingly well.

"Damage report" Vendar muttered panting while removing his helmet.

"All systems up and running" Chiron informed through the ear pieces.

"Those damn Greenskins never stood a chance, using weak guns" responded while chuckling.

"We were too close, yet no projectile touched the shields or the haul. According to Chiron, something detonated the projectiles midway." Evander denoted.

Vendar went immediately silent. He somehow knew what, or rather who served as their protector but had to find out for himself. The team stormed into the lower level and found the Tech Priests waiting for them.

"It is done, the Xeno has been deconstructed and analyzed. His structure is strongly similar to a human, with minimal variations. What is it to be done now, Captain ?" The Magus hissed.

"Take him to the interrogation room".

Vader layed on the wheeled Medtable, staring at the wall and still connected to the respiration device. He was still open with his vital organs separated into an amniotic recipient connected through a tube. The shrapnel and dead tissue lied inside a transparent water jar. His throat was pierced with a needle connected to a Mechanicus translator.

Through the polarized glass, Vendar analyzed his movements: As calm as a man on his deathbed, stretching his arms almost like trying to touch the wall. Talius entered the room and checked at the monitors and measuring devices. He nodded at the Captain through the window: he was stable.

Vendar passed his fingers through his stiff, dark brown hair, combing it backwards. With one last deep breath he opened the door and walked in.

He entered and grabbed a metal crate, where he sat on, facing the Sith. He stared at his red and yellow eyes and spoke softly:

"I am Captain Cornelius Vendar. Blood Ravens, Kill team Avalon. You are now a prisoner under the Imperium of Man and the Imperial Inquisition. You will answer my questions and do as you are told, do I make myself clear?"

A shy nod by Vader started the interrogation.

Vader answered openly with a monotonous voice. It took mere minutes before they were now knew all they ever wanted: His galaxy, his rank, his master, his military prowess, The Force, his alliegeances, all. Yet, they did not seemed interested in his motivations or his origins, "but again, why would they?" Vader thought to himself.

Vader was pushed away surrounded by a weaponized servitor squad. In silence, he mumbled the words his master so long ago spoke to him, now repeating them to himself:

"Embrace it. Embrace it."

Vendar glared into his notes. More than he expected, and certainly much to think about. The existence of another galaxy seemed not too far-fetched, yet still hard to take.

His limited knowledge on body language confirmed truth behind Vader's affirmations, also depicting a constant feeling: regret. Perhaps he could find out more about it later, it was a long trip after all and his team needed food and resting.

The Captain collected the recordings into the Servo-skull, along with his notes and the now unencrypted cypher. The first time he read it he found it ironic. Yet now, it sounded concerning, as it seemed this sacred text had been written more than 18 Millenia ago:

"When fire consumes all among the stars, a new beast shall behead the All Seeing Eagle. The schemer encounters his equal and rises over the lights, devouring the things that are and are not. The forgotten shall come back to the shadow. The fallen knight will rise again from the rock as the key to evil's demise lies within a broken voice."


	7. Chapter 7: Formalities

Chapter 7:

**Formalities**

In the void darkness of space, at a classified location, a small natural satellite sat covered by a a grandiose structure, surrounded by a defensive grid of turrets and a constant traffic of smaller ships. It was the Galathar Station.

At its very center, a massive half illuminated hall with tall windows resounded as the mumbles of people sitting around the grandiose center table became stronger. The meeting between inquisitors had just ended. A grim figure entered, barely fitting through the door and drawing all the attention from the room. It was Vendar.

"Lord Inquisitor, a word if I may." he murmured. A man approached him.

"Go on, Cornelius" The Inquisitor responded as the rest of the room returned to their conversations.

"What shall be our next assignment?" Vendar spoke with a severe tone.

The Inquisitor called upon a Servo-skull, which projected a map on a wall nearby.

"Epistolary Galius sent these files from the Astra Telepathica. They detected several energy singularities with similar properties to the one on Seperus Prime on different Segmentums over the last months. With the information provided by Vader we now know these might be potential threats, coming from other galaxies. The council has classified them as Xenos Horrificus.

They are then to be found and eliminated in a time of 3 standard earth years, the latest deadline for most prophecies according to the Omega Vault emissaries. The prophecy must not come to fruition."

The Astartes analyzed the map and read the names of the mentioned systems.

"Some of these locations will require up to two years only to reach from our current point. How are we to cover them all?" Vendar asked.

"You will split the team, report regularly. You must ready for this as best as possible. Eat, rest, plan, resupply your ammunition and equipment. You have four days maximum." he replied.

"Yes Lord Inquisitor." the Astartes answered with a reverence.

Across the room a monitor lit facing the end of the table, emitting subtle light and sounds. It depicted an old Guardsman dressing the Inquisition's attire. The Inquisitor answered the incoming call it while Vendar walked out the room.

"Lord Inquisitor, please come in." The man said.

"Is something the matter, leftenant?"

"Advice needed, my lord. The Xeno refuses to cooperate with the standard interrogation process and has dispatched 3 of my guards. He responds all questions but refuses to fall under the influence of our Psykers"

" I will see to it. Get the Mechanicus party to the cell levels."

The monitor was turned off. As the assistants left the room it became darker, being Vendar and his superior the last to exit. They quickly descended through the elevator towards the prison levels.

It was a unique sight to behold. The cell was full of notes and books, resembling some of the ancient libraries of the Ministorum. Amidst was Vader, pointing the lines and turning the pages with his new hands while The Force was his scribe. The respirator was not far from him, connected through a long tube. An odd spectacle within the prison levels, only observed by the bizarre committee through the small window.

His eyes rolled and zigzagged impatiently through the pages. The pencils wrote with a hasty pace every meaningful quote he could find. The Lectitio Divinitatus was a puzzling reading for Vader: full of hyperboles and contradictions, torrential hatred towards other lifeforms. Yet, he could see there was something beyond these heavily adorned pages and started speculating that this entity, The Emperor, was perhaps an upper being, someone who could understand the true nature of The Force.

Once his mind had settled, his visions had returned, showing him events and phrases from a distant past. His mind had barely grasped something he read from the ancient scrolls and the epistle.

" You say he built those arms by himself?" A voice murmured on the outside, confirming Vader's suspicions about being watched.

"Yes my lord, out of scrap metal and servitor parts." the Tech Priest answered.

"He seems in relative good health."

"The small dose of nanobots seem to have stopped the Necrosis and reconstructed part of his internal organs. His scars from the operation have blended in with his others as well." Another Tech Priest affirmed.

"All due respect Inquisitor, would it be wise to do this?" Vendar whispered through his clenched teeth.

The Inquisitor entered without answering or hesitating. The unusually calm Sith remained seated and closed his study material as the new visitor started to address him:

"In all my years of loyal service, you are the first Xeno that seems this profoundly interested in the word of our Emperor, even in the unknowing of their own fate."

"It is a pleasure to have such a distinguished guest, Lord Inquisitor." The Sith mumbled.

" My name is Maximus Mordrek, Inquisitor Lord of the Ordo Xenos. I am the one in charge of this station, and I hold power over the lives of all resident prisoners, including yours. You will obey and submit to the Psyker procedure. Only then you shall be set free."

"Have I not cooperated enough with you? " Vader whispered. Mordrek scoffed playfully.

"I acknowledge you struggle deeply for survival. Nevertheless, there is not much reason you would want to flee this station, unless you intend to return home and claim that supposed empire for yourself.

The way I see it there is three options for you:

Number one, you can escape and fend for yourself in this galaxy, while trying to return home or find a new one. You may thrive and find new allies. But we WILL find you again, and kill you.

Number two, we can put you out of your misery. You might fight back but in the end you will die. It would be a quick death with no shame. You slayed two Astartes and a good part of a Cadian regiment anyway, which is an immediate death sentence by all Imperial law standards.

Three:You become a useful Imperial informant. We keep you alive out of the public eye, tell us the rest of your story, all inside your head. We find and end that emperor of yours and you become an inoffensive servant, living well inside these walls.

So? What shall be your choice, Darth Vader?"

"I prefer option number four…" Vader uneasily murmured.

He stood up looking the Inquisitor defiantly in the eye, almost at the same level.

"I work for you." he followed.

Inquisitor Mordrek frowned as to depict intrigue.

"Locate my former master. Become an Inquisitor. Complete other tasks against possible Xeno threats. I am already a seasoned warrior, a pilot, a Psyker and even a Mechanicus apprentice, all great aptitudes fit for an Inquisitor. I am human after all. As far as I know all that is needed is to accept the true faith and instruct myself in the inquisitorial ways."

"You do know that if you are to pay for your sins and become a penitent soldier you must die in defense of the Imperium, do you not?" Mordrek rose his voice.

"It seems that this figure,The Emperor, is well versed in many forms of power and science. Until I understand his nature and find if he truly is a superior entity of The Force, I will not abandon my studies and stay loyal to him wherever I might be. I shall follow your direct command and die on the battlefield if my decisions lead me to it. "

The Inquisitor punched the Sith lord and pointed his laspitol at Vader's forehead while on his knees. There was no sign of hesitation or surprise from the Xeno, which only stared at the Inquisitor until seeing what appeared to be a soft nod from him.

Mordrek left the cell and gazed upon his cohort.

"He is ready then. Bring the Psyker in"

Inquisitor Mordrek walked down the corridor followed by Vendar , The Genetor, The Magus and a young handcuffed Psyker. A thin and elongated man with his scalp covered by prominent vein marks. His green robes were torn and covered by dust and filth. He was pushed into the cell followed by two weaponized servitors.

"Do as you are told, Alexyos." The Inquisitor yelled from afar.

He stumbled in front of Vader, which put all his study materials away. Alexyos grabbed a chair and sat without breaking eye contact with the puzzling man.

"I see you are the new one here. Where did you serve?"

"I'm afraid I do not understand your question" Vader responded.

His voice was a coarse whisper.

"They say you built those arms yourself" He babbled

"I consider myself pretty skilled with technology" Vader replied. He waved his fingers while caressing his forearms.

"I see. Let us make this quick, then."

The Psyker extended his arms and took a deep breath. His eyes glowed as he exhaled and liberated a discharge of energy over Vader and entered his mind.

" Stand by for any signs of fight. Lethal force is authorized."ordered Mordrek to Vendar as he left with the Mechanicus team.

The Space Marine and the servitor squad remained at the door, while the Astartes was trying to process what he had the disgrace of hearing due to his amplified senses. Three hours later, a knocking was heard on the door. The Psyker walked weakly, almost stumbling out of the cell. The Astartes helped him to stand best he could.

"What did you see?" Vendar asked.

"Same things you mentioned: The Jedi Temple, his Padawan, his three masters. The Clone Wars." he stated while collecting his thoughts.

"Did you see anything else?"

"Only an image. His mind was stronger than I thought. No matter how hard I thrusted, his barrier would not break. He was choking a pregnant woman. There was anger in his mind, but now I sense only pain."

The Astartes and the Psyker locked the cell and left the servitors to guard the Sith.

Three days later, as Team Avalon was about to part, the team boarded and readied the Solitudinem. Vendar consulted Chiron's database which affirmed his orders had been modified by Inquisitor Mordrek and the Epistolary himself. Vendar heard a command through his earpiece and entered the cell. Vader was sitting on the ground, staring at a corner. His breathing was agitated, his hands covered his eyes and sweat covered all his naked upper body. The Astartes pushed him, then dragged him to a stand with his respirator and both walked towards a dark room followed by the servitors.

Mordrek commanded the servitors to stand down and Vader entered the room by himself. He sat in front of Mordrek's shadow while under a light. Vendar left, hitting another wall in anger nearby after closing the door to a completely silent room.

"Are Jedi allowed to have a family?" Mordrek broke the silence.

Vader denied it with his head.

"Who was she, then?"

"My wife."

"Why would you do that?"

"I was afraid to lose her…"

The Sith clenched his metal fists.

"Like my mother."

"You looked for answers on the Dark Side… and it corrupted you." Mordrek inferred.

"One life taken for another to be given. So is the path to transcend death."

"Is that a Sith teaching?"

"Perhaps." Vader babbled.

The conversation reached silence once more. Mordrek coughed softly and kept looking at such a pitiful being before chatting once more:

"You win. We shall have a team to join you and keep you in check. So hold on to your life while you are still useful, and die a meaningful death or I will claim your life with my bear hands."

"It is a moment of victory, then. For both of us."

Inquisitor Mordrek gave Vader a half smile and stood up.

"Not yet. You better get started, the Cardinal will arrive in 2 months."

Days went by as a flash. He devoured page after page, chapter after chapter. He devoured the thoughts of the Primarchs and tomes of the Ministorum epistles. When the big day came, he was confused.

He was not quite sure what delighted him the most.

Perhaps it was the half light of the immense cathedral's nave, maybe the alluring smell of incense or the magnificence of the chorus. One way or the other, he felt a peace as none he had felt before, mesmerized by the dark beauty of his surroundings. his black tunic accentuated the leanness of his figure while concealing his robotic legs.

He walked between the lines of standing priests, confessors and deacons, all present for a more grandiose celebration compared to their daily service. At the front row, the inquisitors and guardsmen watched his very moves, expecting any sign of hostility or repentance. He sat on the first left row by himself. The Cardinal rose as the congregation sat, starting the mass:

"My faithful, we have gathered today to celebrate the triumph of the God Emperor, and to witness one of his mighty miracles first hand. For today, a heathen soul from afar comes back to the light of the true faith, giving his life in sacrifice for his sins."

"Step up, repentant one."

Vader walked in front of the altar and kneeled on an old dark Prie-Dieu, lowering his head.

"Speak your name, remorseful one."

It was in that moment, the Sith Lord knew his past was behind him and remembered what his master said not so long ago: "Embrace your pain and sorrow. Embrace the decisions that have led you here, or forever live under the shadow of what you are no more, the shadow of Anakin Skywalker."

"My name is Darth Vader, your eminence." He stated.

"Have you come by your own volition?"

"Yes, your eminence."

"Have you accepted your true fate as a servant for the Imperium ?"

"Yes, your grace."

"Do you surrender your life and promise to lose it in battle as a penitent warrior of the God-Emperor and His Most Holy armies?"

"Yes, your grace."

"Then let us all rise and speak the Imperial Catechism. For the rejoice of a new saved soul, and the affirmation of our devotion to the God Emperor himself."

The congregation stood up along with Vader and rose their right hand, as to signify the solemnity of their oath. Vader joined them and they proclaimed as one:

"I Deny The Ruinous Powers; I will not suffer the Witch, the Mutant or the Heretic to live. May the Repentant be wrought in Saving Flames.  
I Believe in the God-Emperor, Him on Terra, who United Mankind under his auguring quest, and Ventured on the Great Crusade."

Vader drifted into his own words. All the hours he had spent on learning their ways. All the stories about this omnipotent Emperor, and yet he felt far from understanding. Still, for the first time in his new life, he had the choice to do so...

"I Believe in the God-Emperor, Who was Betrayed by Horus, the Favoured Son and afterwards the Thousandfold Cursed.  
I Believe in the God-Emperor, who Ascended the Golden Throne, to Guide and Protect Humanity, and gave His Divine Mandate to the High Lords of Holy Terra, so that they may rule until His return and in His Name, of which the sweetest of hymns are made.

"Gloria Imperatoris." The cardinal potently exclaimed.

"Gloria Imperatoris." The congregation replied in unison.

The cardinal approached Vader and was then handed an iron rod by a confessor, with the repentant mark glowing ablaze at its end. With a steady hand he marked Vader in his chest, who flinched but did not screamed as his flesh burned and chest forevered branded him as a new instrument to the Imperium.

The congregation prayed in unison as he was marked:

"Love the Emperor,

for He is the salvation of mankind.

Obey His words,

for He will lead you into the light of the future.

Heed His wisdom,

for He will protect you from evil.

Whisper His prayers with devotion,

for they will save your soul.

Honour His servants,

for they speak in His voice.

Tremble before His majesty,

for we all walk in His immortal shadow."

The cardinal moved in front of the altar and with the help of his acolytes, revealed a reliquary with a holy relic under his custody: a golden shard from a single golden leaf of one The Emperor's battle crowns .Despite it's brittle nature, its gold plate remained bright, as a symbol of the Emperor's might and his inheritance to mankind. the congregation aligned to adore the relic, kneeling before it and touching it with one hand while the other layed on their hearts. Vader adored from a distance, kneeling and praying to it in silence.

After the mass, Vader was escorted back to his cell.

The room was now accommodated with modest yet comfortable furniture. a bottle of amesec and a full glass sat on Vader's new desk.

Inquisitor Mordrek appeared from behind Vader cup in hand.

"Here is to a new brother in the true faith." He toasted and drank

The Inquisitor dropped a small book on the table, covered in green leather. Vader took it.

"There are more downstairs. The Mechanicus will help you repair and upgrade your battle armor and weapons. You have three days. You better be worth the trouble, Vader."

"I am, my lord." He murmured as the Inquisitor left.

Vader gazed at the pages and analyzed the last one in silence. The imperial symbol and the Inquisition sigil appeared over two words, which now Vader recognized as High Gothic, but did not know yet their true meaning:

Schola Progenium.


	8. Chapter 8: Pushing forward

The snow was falling slowly, almost weightless, between the dense tries of the frozen forest. The wind murmured echoes from a distance as the fire of anti air weapons illuminated an otherwise white and grey sky. The rubbery sound of snow being stepped on was muffled by the wind flapping his cape.

Among the thick pines, a black tall cloaked shadow walked with a heavy and serene pace, as if taking a casual stroll through the woods: it was Inquisitor Vader.

Two figures saluted him from a distance and approached the Inquisitor with a hasty pace. The Guardsmen had their typical flak armor barely covered with olive colored winter coats, green scarves and precarious snow gloves.

"My lord, it is an honor. The commissar is waiting for you. We are instructed to lead you to our camp."one mumbled as the other panted.

"Then lead me to it." he patiently replied.

They walked with a hasty pace towards the encampment. As they arrived, the sound of crackling bonfires soothed Vader while he saw the Guardsmen around them searching for heat while passing by.

Vader stared at the whole installation with the corner of an eye. He could see the foxholes being dug, some used as mass graves. He could see the snipers ever vigilant stationed on the upper part of some trees as well as the turret emplacements and Heavy bolter turrets being procured and loaded. but above all, Vader saw the Guardsmen. Their faces were fatigued, tearful, some even suffering from anxiety or shellshock. Some stared at the mysterious figure while others dismissed it completely, either concentrated on a task or sunken into their own desperation.

He could easily hear their conversations, most of them full of apathy and bitterness:

"The Valhallans should be freezing here instead of us. They have not engaged the Xenos." " I heard the news, they are not even willing to confront them." " This a satellite, of course they wouldn't mind if they lost it and we died." "This is nonsense."

"What is your current status?" Vader asked one of his guides.

"Our garrison has been under constant attack, my lord. Some of our fellow Guardsmen have engaged in combat for more than 29 hours against both Xenos and heretics."

Vader's vision hovered over the pitiful spectacle of the field hospital. The medics walking at a hasty pace, alternating between injectors, medikits, saws and scalpels in order to attend those few who could be actually saved. They finally stopped at a command tent.

As Vader went inside, the Commissar nervously left his cup of tea, stood up and saluted the mysterious Inquisitor while he attempted to regain a martial posture.

"My lord. We are humbled humbled to receive an Inquisitor in our encampment. What can be done to help such an honorable servant of the Imperium?"

"We need to take the town at the other side of this forest. There is an objective of high strategic import and classified nature in the vicinity."

"We have attempted my lord, but the last wave was completely eliminated, I personally commanded the men behind the line, even executing those who retreated, but they seem to not respond. Still, the ambushes on the southern pass and siege of the crossroads at the forest have kept the fight constant. It could be easier if we had more experienced troops and not these recruits at our disposal."

"Truly a shameful waste of Imperial resources and training." He affirmed.

"They are a disgrace my lord, but I shall get these recruits in line and we will…"

"Who said I was talking about the recruits?" Vader interrupted.

" Use the armed vehicles and artillery to push on the south and flank the town, we will launch another wave on the open and take the town's defenses. I will personally lead the charge, Commissar. Stay behind me."

He then proceeded to ditch his cloak and revealed a pristine black and golden armor. The layered plates of ceramite bulked up his powerful shoulders, depicting an Aquila and an Imperialis over each arm. His chest sported the Inquisition sigil and a satchel containing what appeared to be a copy of the Lectitio Divinitatus. His black cape depicted the symbol of the Adeptus Ministorum on its back. His reinforced limbs seemed bigger and stronger than those of a normal person, nearly making him look like a compact yet still threatening version of an Astartes. His new limbs made virtually no sound that could give away the lack thereof. His helmet was bright black, still the same design but with the Ordo Sigil on its forehead and with thin gold details. Vader walked towards the trenches as the Commissar dispatched the orders and moved any officer he could find. The men gathered on the trenches, the last defensive line before the plains. The soldiers stared with fear and bitterness into No Man's land and the Xenos entrenched at the other side.

Vader stood over the trench as the Burst rounds began to rain upon them. He addressed the men with the most potent voice he could muster:

"Brave Guardsmen, stand strong! I see dread and fatigue in your eyes, but know that we will triumph. Our Emperor has chosen us to fight and die on this world not because we were the most prepared but for we are the bravest and most faithful there is."

The young Imperial guards looked at him, some recovering the energy and serenity on their faces.

" If The might of the Emperor is with us, then who is to stand against us?"

A shy cheer was heard amongst the line.

"Let us all fight together and take what is rightfully ours. Let us be an exampIe of courage for our Valhallan brothers in Gravalax. I shall lead you to retribution!"

A bigger cheer propagated within the Guardsmen, which readied their lasrifles and fixed their bayonets.

"To victory or death!"

A loud roar was heard while the entrenched Xeno warriors readied their Pulse Rifles. The Sentry turrets took aim and revealed their twin-linked Burst Cannons and Missile Pods. Inside a scorched attic, a solitary Pathfinder prepared his Rail Rifle. His previous wound had reopened and could only serve as a sniper, picking targets for his comrades.

Vader unsheathed his power sword, which glowed blood red with the flick of a thumb. The crimson kyber crystal from his previous sword became the ornament jewel and power source for his new one.

A powerful scream shook the garrison to its core while the immense charge took over the snow covered plain. Vader extended his left hand and stretched his fingers as if trying to hold something, seemingly carrying some weight on it. No order was necessary as the Xenos opened fire on the pushing mob, while hearing a loud, barely comprehensible scream:

"For the Emperor!"

The projectiles found a halt less than five steps away from Vader. None could pass the wide protection and exploded while the men hastened their pace ever closer. The charge pressed on and ran with even more fury. The invisible shield covered kilometers of front, while the Astra Millitarum ran swiftly into the frozen haystacks and scorched barns, over the frozen farming plains and reaching the old town's outskirts.

The men possessed by rage and desperation could barely run through the snow and keep up with Inquisitor Vader. They finally reached the enemy trenches, where Vader sliced the turrets in half with swift cuts and the Xenos were neutralized by the Guardsmen. Some by bayonet, some by rapid up close lasrounds, some by bear fists, bayonets and knives. The trench descended into madness and feral brawl, something to which the Xenos proved to be nearly useless. The blue blood spreaded across the snow and the Guardsmen emerged victorious, engaging in street combat on the small quaint town.

The gunships opened fire on the humans as they ran for cover, destroying some of the shops and houses. The mechanic battlesuit faced Vader standing almost double his size, still causing no impression on him. The battlesuit unleashed a barrage at Vader, only leaving a screen of snow, smoke and scorched earth. From behind the smoke, Vader appeared and charged towards it. The Inquisitor swiftly cut its legs making it fall to its knees and proceeded to stab its head and neck by climbing on top of it. The mortar fire, Leman Russ and Baneblade tanks cut the gunships from the south and obliterated them, while some brave Guardsmen boarded the remaining vehicles and filled them with grenades. As the battle wrapped up, the remaining Xenos were reunited at the town square and executed by order of the Commissar.

Vader walked away from the town and over some hills nearby, leaving a mob of cheering and chanting Astra Millitarum receiving supplies and transport by incoming aircraft, screaming with glee and thanking the Emperor for a crushing victory. None but the Commissar ever noticed the absence of the Inquisitor as he left the town behind.

After several minutes, the Inquisitor walked downhill and approached a small valley where he saw the entrance of a tunnel. A figure approached him and pointed her bolter pistol at his face.

"You are late"

"I beg your pardon, Captain, but I found it a practical solution for our infiltration predicament."

"I realized it. Once the armour concentrated their fire on you and the battlesuit left the area. Ingenious, still it will be reported to the Lord Inquisitor. now move." she said while leading the way.

She removed the red hood in order to have a clearer look of her surroundings, Her short snow colored hair fell gracefully over one side of her forehead, partially covering the prominent scar over her right eye, almost compensating for the lack of hair on the sides and back. her bright amber eyes contrasted with the half face blood colored mask. She sported a black power armour with silver details, blood red robes and a prominent banner with the repentant mark over her chest plate. Her voice and shape depicted a young adult, a period short lived for Vader, and yet she had the looks of a battle seasoned warrior. She was her commanding officer and an anomaly according to Vader's knowledge: a repentant Sister of Battle, not a Sister Repentia.

They rapidly observed the perimeter and found no potential witness or threat, then walked to the entrance of what appeared to be a tunnel or underground structure, where their partner awaited them.

"Are you done, Psyker?" she asked with a stoic tone

"Yes, Captain." He murmured as he let the head of his victim, a Tau soldier, fall. The Psyker then dialed the recently learned code into the pad. The door opened and the team descended through the tunnel.

The Sister perceived a disturbance on her earpiece and contacted the ship:

"This is captain Woodthorne, we are temporary shutting down communications, code Classificatae."

The three Inquisitors entered the tunnel hovering over every possible attack positions and covering each others backs. They entered a control room and proceeded to dispatch all the barricated Xeno soldiers within. The shootout ended in a blink, barely even spilling any blood.

"After you Alexyos." Vader stated in a playful manner. Alexyos accessed the main cogitator. The Mechanicus security barrier made the files impossible to corrupt. The Psyker could only then access and retrieve a small amount of information.

"The data is mostly in Lingua-Technis."

"Let me see" Vader replied.

"Where did you learn their tongue?"

"We have become good acquaintances". Their captain scoffed as she inspected and extracted information from the secondary cogitators and dead bodies.

"Most of the data mention a structure of Xeno origins below the facility. It has been inactive for years. They have studied it."

"The event was marked a few months ago, so the Xenos knew it was here. Why would they let the T'au seal the facility?" Captain Woodthorne mumbled out loud.

" The door was forced" Alexyos interrupted

"No signs of explosives, only high amounts of pressure. Any ressemblances you can find, Vader?"

With rearranging some cables, the repentant Sister activated the power source. The sound of a restarting mechanic elevator put the team on alert. A message started playing as one of the T'au cogitators seemed to be connected to the power source:

" This is Shas' O Ke'lshan Bunor, Head of security for the research team on Operation: Mountain on Gravalax 28: I was nearly unnerved at my proximity to that nameless thing at the bottom of that pit.

Most of my team has died within these ruins and those who have not, are now guarding the control room of this facility. Our scientists have taken their own lives after being in contact with object Nyrion 1, not before confirming Nyrion 1 is of no known nature within our galaxy, as well as the warriors who now guard it. Yet it feeds on the energy of what lays dormant in here. The humans are now pounding at our doors, not knowing the true nature of what lies here. Now I understand my duty is to go down there and make sure that this evil does not awake. Should I die, this recording is to be taken for further research and this facility sealed and destroyed within the next 12 hours. Send my regards and thoughts to my family. Tell them I did this to protect them and therefore I regret nothing. For the Greater Good. "

As the recording ended and the sound of the elevator stopped, Vader used The Force to open the door, confirming Alexyos' suspicions. The team stepped into the elevator and it started to descend. The transparent walls of the elevator allowed them to analyze their surroundings.

The lift entered a thick layer of ice, which it descended at a hasty pace. The team then saw something that made Alexyos shiver in disbelief: A solid and massive structure, shaped like a temple or a mausoleum, the size of a small citadel, Illuminated by multiple reflectors and a mild green glow. All within the quietness and concealment of the ice on the surface. Vader gripped his sword tight as his studies helped him recognize the sight before him: a Necron Tomb.

The captain prepared her bolter pistol and Chainsword.

" I suppose I do not have to point out the delicateness of our current situation. We locate our objective. Extract or destroy whatever is inside. Keep the Xenos at bay or recommend for Exterminatus. Turn on your short range communication."

The two Inquisitors followed her command.

The radio could emit little sound, making it barely useful.

The team walked into what appeared to be a hall with multiple paths, emulating a high walled labyrinth.

"Spread out and synchronize your chronometers. Should communications fail, we shall meet here in 15 minutes."

Each team member took a different path and stood on their guard.

The echoes resounded with unnerving clearness. Even the sound of steps had an ominous tone for the team as each one walked by themselves.

The corridors became an endless and confusing trail, full of humidity and silence. For Vader, the path was clear, yet the walls started moving, reconfiguring. The shadow covered the Inquisitor in darkness, as if he descended to deeper levels. Vader stood still while gripping his power sword, sensing a new presence.

And the force was strong with it.

He found two blue eyes staring at him, which electric light could haunt any soldier faint of heart. Vader then lit up his weapon and started to defend himself.

He dodged the first strike and with his ruby power sword started deflecting the incoming attacks. They were swift and agile, attacking at multiple angles in a sporadic order. A change in his breath was the closest reaction Vader had to surprise the moment he noticed the nature of the weapon. It was a blue lightsaber pike, not so different from those the ancient jedi sentinels had back at the temple in Coruscant. His fighting style was close to Ataru, but with more primitive and irregular movements. He put his thoughts back on the mission and just as he was about to communicate his status, the Psyker beat to him to it:

" This is Alexyos, multiple contacts. "

"Confirmed, multiple contacts as well. Fall back." Woodthorne answered.

Vader started retreating while still parring as many blows as possible.

The floor started moving and Vader was forced to jump and rush, leaving his pursuer momentarily behind. The team found their way to the rally point, only to realize the room and the connected paths were drastically modified. Alexyos used his lightning to keep a new threat at bay: a swarm of small insectoid robots, glowing with the same tenuous green light. they were Necron constructs. Vader and his captain saw their incoming Xeno threats and engaged them. They all three had the same weapons and one of them even sported a shield.

The muzzle fire from the Captain's bolter pistol flashed over the shadow of the Xeno attackers revealing their true color: A golden armour, a menacing golden helm and two penetrating blue eyes.

And then Vader heard it from afar: the door that let them down the lift, had been suddenly shut.


	9. Chapter 9: The tomb

The blizzard blew strongly on the surface, as not even the bright moon could illuminate such a storm. Not a soul could be seen around the entrance of the snow covered entrance had been shut and the underground of the tomb shook as its guardians were now awakening due to the battle taking place on its maze of a structure. The walls resounded with the thump of bodies being slammed and debris crashing into them. It was the Inquisitor Vader against a new foe.

The warrior was flipped over and fell to the ground. He then extended his hand and pushed Vader with The Force. In an instant, both duelists started bashing each other, breaking the floor below them, using the broken walls as projectiles and punching through massive waves of air and dust. They floated off the ground and engaged with their weapons once more. The strikes were swift and smooth.

Alexyos and Captain Woodthorne fired at the incoming wave of insectoid robotic xenos on all directions. Alexyos sent waves of lightning through his hands as the Captain reloaded. The other golden warriors advanced towards them while they were blocking the incoming bolts with The Force.

Vader once more saw through the warrior's flawed technique and disarmed him. As he dragged him through the floor, Vader submitted him by putting both weapons to his throat. He then proceeded to ask:

"What is your purpose here, Jedi?"

"I am no Jedi!" The warrior yelled.

"Our ways are not of the light or the dark, for The Force is merely a tool for justice."

"Who has taught you this wisdom, then?" Vader questioned while putting a knee on his adversary's chest.

"Our beloved emperor Valkorion himself."

Vader let the power sword fall from his hand as he stepped back in disbelief.

A tremor was felt once more.

From within the dark hole, A massive being crawled out. Its numerous legs moved in endless waves, perforating any surface. Its massive body slithered while its whisker-like tentacles erratically hovered the ground. Its many eyes glowed with an unnatural green, moving erratically. It was a Necron beast, a Canoptek.

It let out an ominous squeal, combining both feral and electronic attributes.

The knight stood on his feet as he and his brethren started using The Force to contain the horrific being, pushing it to the cavern it came from. The monstrosity slithered its way through the attacks and fired a green beam, tearing through the small insectoids and sending the opposing parties on a sprint. The last one on the run was one of the golden warriors which was overrun by the insectoids and started to stab him as he fought back. His fellow warriors started to tear them apart and throw them away.

Vader recovered his sword and oined them. The once enemies managed to scare the smaller minions and yet, the large creature kept advancing towards the defenders and their alternated lightning barrages. Their attacks became more weary and decided to create a defensive field.

The Canoptek spat a beam of a certain kind that kept bursting through the Force barrier. One of the warriors faltered and the beam disintegrated him instantly. Their commanded nodded and they immediately retreated, carrying the wounded one on his shoulders.

The Inquisitor party followed the fleeing warriors and entered what appeared to be a barricaded section of the maze, shutting the improvised door behind them and pushing it as the insectoids crawled all over it and left.

Silence was once more.

The inquisitors were then at spearpoint, surrounded by the knights.

"Why have you come here?" One of them demanded.

"We are to be done with you and eliminate the Xeno threat, heretic!" Captain Woodthorne yelled, reaching for her weapons.

"How have you arrived here, knight?" Vader calmly asked.

"We have our means. Are you a Sith?"

"Yes, Lord of the Sith. My name is Darth Vader."

"It seems that the Sith empire is trying to invade new galaxies then…"

"The sith empire disappeared more than 4000 years ago."

"what? liar!" two of the knights shouted.

"Murlow!" the leader yelled.

"He is not lying, captain." The third one answered.

"The Holocron…."

"Is a Holocron here?" Vader sheathed his sword.

"There is. We were sent to retrieve it, two months ago. Fifty of us were sent, only 5 remained to this day. Four now, thanks to you. We almost succeeded once, but now our only fight is to contain these creatures and find a way out, as the maze keeps changing and our grasp on the force has been somehow maimed."

"If your affirmations are correct, it would be the first and perhaps only Holocron by which time itself has been distorted." Vader murmured.

"We can help you." Alexyos babbled.

"So, you can kill us later?" A knight pointed his spear at Alexyos' throat.

"Better to die with honor in a fair fight and not by the weapons of a Necron abomination." Woodthorne replied, pointing her previously holstered bolter pistol at the young knight.

"Tell your partner to stand down." The elder knight addressed Vader.

"She is my captain."

"I am sorry then, Milady. We will work together as long as you only attack us after we contain the threat and retrieve the Holocron".

"We share the same objectives… Fair enough." The Sister holstered her weapons.

The elder knight removed his helm, revealing a dark skinned man with a braided white beard. He extended his right hand in a greeting gesture.

" My name is Keth Tomla and we are the Knights of Zakuul"

"The Eternal Empire." Vader spoke to himself, as to confirm his suspicions.

"Captain Theodora Woodthorne, Ordo Xenos. Imperial Inquisition."

"This is our safehouse. The creature will not bother us here. Let us allow our men to rest while we come up with a strategy, Captain."

The Sister nodded.

The odd party then committed to rest and weapons maintenance. Some others assisted the wounded knight as their commanders started drawing a sketch of the maze and planned their next movement.

"The path reconfigures every two minutes. Our best chance is to stick to the outer wall and wait for a window of opportunity." A knight mumbled.

The chatter kept going for a while and then they returned to their respective parties.

They decided to attack in 20 more minutes as the Inquisitors agreed to share some of their rations. The groups ate and rested separated from each other, and Alexyos tasted little of the food to prove it was not poisoned. The three Inquisitors later sat against a wall, Vader refusing to eat.

"Do not forget this was your idea, Alexyos." The captain whispered to the Psycher as she sat between him and Vader to take a bite.

"Their emperor seems like a great leader for what I've inquired, bringing them up from nothing. Teaching them to use their gifts." Alexyos mumbled.

"It is just a coverage for Emperor Vitiate. They are only pawns of a bigger scheme." Vader replied

"They are not so different, then. In a universe full of lies, what can we do except have faith in whoever helps you?"

"They are still heretics following a false leader and you know it." The captain interrupted before swallowing her last bite.

"Their presence out of time is a proof of the damage that the ruinous powers have inflicted on existence. Am I not right, Vader?" She asked.

"I believe in The one true Emperor and will give my life for him. I believe in our Captain as well."

The repentant Sister frowned and clenched her fists, putting away her plate as her cheeks mildly blushed while remembering the embarrassment she felt moments ago, being mistaken as an underling.

Did she commanded no real authority by herself? Was she that irrational?

She then called upon the Servoskull resting on her shoulder and analyzed the recorded footage from the Tau scientists. Trying to find any symbol or clue, Vader by her side.

Alexyos started eating what little remained of Vader's ration in the meanwhile, ignoring his surroundings.

" If I may enquire, for academic reference, captain: How can a Repentant Sister of Battle not become a Sister Repentia?" Vader discretely asked with a severe tone.

"Who said I was not?" She grabbed the lower part of her face mask. Only then, Vader noticed the toren eyeholes.

" The armour is just a mere formality. I have not completed my sacred task. No matter where I fought, No matter how many Greenskins, heretics, Eldar or Tyranids tried to rob me of my life, none could do it. I retreated and was not allowed to die like my Sisters."

Vader remained silent.

"The Canoptek is awake, but why not the warriors? There has to be a reason. The symbol corresponds to the Mephrit dynasty. We don't have many archives for them, only what the Mechanicus provide. "

" An intelligence recollection should then be in order, Captain?" Alexyos asked followed by a giggle.

"Indeed, my Psycher underling."

Woodthorne stood up once more and picked her weapons. Vader and Alexyos did the same as the knights finished their meal.

The knights rose once again and took positions behind the inquisitors forming a diamond, with the wounded knight at its center.

The Sister of Battle then broke the silence:

"As we agreed, you take the high ground. We are the bait and keep the small ones off you, then turn the big one's weapons against his kind."

"Fair enough. Be ready, may the Force be with you."

Captain Tomla calmly answered.

"My sincere thanks. We shall resume our affairs later." Woodthorne stoically replied.

The knights nodded between each other behind the Inquisitors. Soon after, the party opened the door and trotted with a hasty pace.

The tide of insectoids descended upon them from every direction as they picked their pace through the ever changing corridors. The Inquisitor party and the wounded knight started to repel them as the knights kept running forward and lowered their bodies, as to prepare for a jump. They swiftly then climbed over the walls, running on their thin tops to assist their teammates. The Canoptek crawled out once more and readied to fire its weapon. The knights used The Force to hold it down while the ground party scattered, avoiding the possible beam. The creature fired and missed the shot, only to be responded by the inquisitors firing and cutting some of its limbs. The creature wailed in pain and could barely react when the wounded knight stumped on top of it. Vader tried to cut its armor but it was too thick. The Canoptek then slithered and tried to whip its tail, only to be received by Vader's shield.

Woodthorne fired her Bolter on a small gap between the creatures abdomen and tail, cracking the armor around it.

"The creature is hurt, now!"

The knights jumped upon the creature and used his lightsaber pikes to slash the wound open. Captain Tomla then thrusted his weapon and stabbed the creature. As it let a massive screech out, the creature fired its beam randomly as if desperate to repel its attacker, only to disintegrate its insectoid brethren. As the knights controlled the beast, the tide was drawn back as planned. The inquisitors rained lightning and bolter rounds on the remaining bugs. They pursued the swarm while the knights entered into a berserker rage and kept slashing the Canoptek's wound, tearing it apart.

The party looked at it each other in the eyes and realized there was a small glimpse of relief on the knights. They returned to their formation and kept advancing while the path reconfigured once more. They found one of the outer walls and raised their pace, hoping to find a clearer way by running along it. They ran into a dead end, turning around as if to expect an imminent attack. Suddenly, A path opened to their side, creating a corridor which led directly to the labyrinth's center.

They sprinted with all their might not knowing if the path would reconfigure once more. The party made it as the walls closed behind them into what appeared to be an enormous hall.

The hall was covered in half illuminated blue and red blood stains. Flickering lights and scattered lamps illuminated rows of what appeared to be sarcophagi laid in front of them, some surrounded by piles upon piles of dry corpses. Many of the graves were connected through cables and tubes to both human and Tau cogitators and machinery.

Nearby, a Tau corpse was guarding what appeared to be a drone of connected her Servoskull to it in order to extract as any useful information as possible. The skull projected an image on a wall nearby. It took a few seconds for Woodthorne to read the information gathered, but she could barely process it all as she kept moving to pick up the pace with the rest of her party. She then commanded Alexyos to stay behind and guard the entrance.

They kept cautiously walking deeper into the massive structure. The knights bent their knees the moment they found their dead brothers. Tomla then spoke out regardless if the inquisitors acknowledged him or not:

" This is as far as we have reached. We pushed through the swarming creatures before the big one was awoken."

"Was there any other big creature you recall?" Woodthorne asked while approaching the knights.

"No. But at this point, it would not be far fetched."

Alexyos guarded the entrance with his gun pointed upfront, as he remained on edge expecting anything. A voice made him flinch and forced him to move his head, seeing no one nearby. Still, the tone was easily recognizable. It was the Captain.

"Alexyos, I know you can hear me. There are not many psychers with this ability."

"Yes, Captain. Is something the matter?" He answered on his mind.

"The Xenos are part of the Mephryt dynasty, hence their symbol. I found a Tau drone with files talking about records of a Mephryt Berserker army. It's said to be strong and violent, even more than their own kind, and remained hidden as their secret weapon, which if unleashed would be out of control."

"Which is why they have not been awoken yet." Alexyos replied.

"If they wake up, even by accident…"

"Not on my watch. We must dispose of these warriors. Inform Vader."

"Yes Captain."

Vader and his Captain took the lead as they approached the hall's center. There appeared to be an altar with wide tubes on its base, going under the structure's floor. On the altar's top, a crystal dome flickered with red lights. The party approached the altar and a metallic hum echoed throughout the structure, putting them on edge. The knights took a defensive position and Tomla stood beside the Inquisitors. A series of symbols appeared on the dome, which Vader read out loud:

"He who be worthy of the power within, shall use The Force to unleash it."

As Tomla and Vader nodded to each other, they channeled their lightning towards the dome, making it crack and reveal intricate patterns similar to the ancient Sith symbols, until the crystal dome exploded into a fine dust. A small pyramid shaped object floated away from the altar, covered in red lights and thick fog. A torrent of green energy flowed from underneath it, as if it was feeding on the energy emitted by the Necron tomb itself.

The Holocron had been found.

With a twist of his fingers, Vader opened the Holocron, which then floated even higher and projected symbols and texts all around a red light sphere.

"What are we looking at, Vader?" Woodthorne asked.

"There are Sith edicts and… notes on...some sort of Force construct."

The Holocron suddenly flashed and the Necron energy torrent was abruptly stopped, leaving a powerful thunder and a clanking sound as if a machine had suddenly stopped. And in the midst of this confusion, someone yelled:

"Long live Emperor Valkorion!"

The wounded charged as he plunged his lightsaber spear towards Alexyos' back. In a swift movement, Alexyos avoided the stab, but was graced on his right side, burning through his robes, light armour and flesh. The pain of his wound injected rage into his lightning, which he discharged upon his attacker. The two remaining knights engaged Vader and Woodthorne while Tomla jumped away from the fight.

He then pulled the Holocron towards him via The Force and attempted to take it. The Holocron then sparked and unleashed bolts of red lightning on the elder knight, which then fell unconscious. A series of lightning bolts followed the first one and hit one of the connected Tau cogitators nearby. The channeled energy ran through the device and its connections straight into the largest of the sarcophagi, which illuminated with the same green lights as its lid was released.

The coffin opened and two emerald lights shined as the eyes of a fresh new horror. The creature stood up several heads above the party and resounded with metallic echoes. Its robotic body resemble a muscular warrior, with a green colored torso and grey limbs. its head reminded of a human skull with a golden crest adorning it from the back. A black and green emblem at its chest, depicting the dystany's symbol. It sported a massive warscythe and steadily moved into what appeared to be a combat stance.

"This is a Lychguard, right? Which means there are nobles here". Vader whispered while readying his battle stance and approaching his Captain.

"Better not to wake them up." Theodora hushed.

After killing the wounded knight Alexyos then ran towards the fight only to be nearly wounded by a new wave of red lightning, which hit other cogitators. In a blink, 6 new Necron soldiers had risen from their coffins.

Knights, Inquisitors and Necrons, they all stood on guard as to see who would make the first move.

Alexyos then received another message:

"Alexyos, fire on the Necrons, draw their attention at any costs, do not let them bring their brethren back to life, tell Vader to take on the knights, the Lychguard is mine."

"Yes Captain, Emperor be with you."

Vader broke the silence as he used both his ruby power sword and his Force lightning to confront the knights. He put himself between the warriors and expertly parried the lightsaber pike thrusts.

The psycher fired his bolter pistol towards the Necrons, zigzagging through the sarcophagi and using them for cover. He then unleashed more lightning on two of the Necron on his right, paralyzing them as they screeched with metallic echoes.

Woodthorne jumped over the massive Necron's first slash and slid through its legs, slashing and shootings them from behind. The Sister then jumped onto the creature's back and started carving a hole between its thick armor. The creature then twisted its left arm and grabbed her arm, launching her over its head and thudding her on the floor. She then stood back up, barely dodging the incoming slashes. As she saw the left arm coming back at her, she grabbed onto it and cut the Necron's hand off. The Lychguard then used its arm to fling Woodthorne and hit her once more against the floor, pummeling her body over and over.

Vader then disarmed one of the knights with the Force and decapitated him in an instant. Fueled by rage, the second knight charged at Vader only to be shot in the back and disintegrated by one of the Necrons. Alexyos then unleashed his lightning once more as the Necron Warriors charged on him. Vader did the same from behind.

Woodthorne could feel her arm battered and broken into many fractures. As the Xeno prepared its Scythe once more, she dropped her bolter and griped her chainsword tight while the scythe descended upon her. She closed her eyes, as to search serenity on the idea of her own death.

She then heard clanking metal and opened her eyes. The Necron remained static, he was being held back by The Force. Vader then jumped and cut off one of its arms dropping the heavy weapon. Both inquisitors then stormed over the Necron slashing and dismembering it as much as possible, Vader then crushing its core and head as to cut off any life left in it.

Vader then pulled the Holocron towards him and a shot caught Vader's attention, it was a blaster fired by Tomla, who regained his consciousness but was badly burnt and wounded, not even able to stand up. Captain Tomla then used The Force to fight the Necrons nearby, bashing them against the walls while Alexyos tried to land one of his bolts of lightning against the knight, only for him to change his mind and discharge them once more on the Necrons. Vader then disarmed the knight and smashed him through a nearby sarcophagus .

As the Necrons fell, Alexyos and his Captain emptied their bolter pistols on the Xenos, assuring they were a threat no more.

Vader then was able to retrieve the open Holocron but was once more interrupted by an incoming lightsaber pike and dropped the Holocron. It was Tomla. Vader then dodged the weapon and lifted the knight in the air while choking him. The Javelin flew backwards towards Vader only for him to catch it. The sith proceeded to stab the knight with his own weapon.

The moment the Holocron touched the ground, it exploded into beams of concentrated energy, covering the ancient Necron coffins and their connections. The entangled devices and foreign cogitators bursted into flames and exploded as well, leaving traces of fire to be picked up by the hundreds of corpses, which despite being rotten and dried, burned intensely and created a wildfire. The energy torrent underneath the altar also caught one of the energy beams and started a series of explosions which started to shake the structure as a whole. Alexyos fell and started panting in pain, since his wounds and his use of the Warp energy had finally taken a toll on him. Woodthorne grabbed Alexyos while Vader retrieved what appeared to reside inside the Holocron, as its remains settled down: 3 small scrolls and a reliquary of sorts.

The fire took over captain Tomla's still twitching body. Only Vader could read the knight's lips from a distance as he addressed him one last time:

"It seems we all failed. Goodbye, sith". Tomla whispered as life left his body.

An ominous thunder was heard, in a moment the inquisitors knew they had to leave the tomb. Vader carried Alexyos in his arms and opened and r Woodthorne ran in front of them to reach the elevator. The paths kept changing and the once clear lights flickered as they saw the out walls crackling around them. The inquisitors found the entrance, from where they saw the layers of ice crumbling and falling into the tomb. Woodthorne called the elevator and Vader opened the doors with ease. They all went up the elevator as they saw the tomb exploding and being sunken under the ice.

The Inquisitors walked out of the installations as Vader caused an avalanche to sepult the entrance and the station within. Woodthorne scouted the area from atop the hill and returned, while Vader checked the damage on his suit and on Alexyos. Vader then addressed his captain.

"If I may, Captain. Was it ever your intention to die?"

"I…"

The Sister took a deep breath and looked at Vader in the eye...

"My life is now not mine anymore. I now fight for the memory of those who I held dear, as long as the Emperor allows me. And to keep you maggots in check..."

Vader nodded and the team walked back into the town, now an Imperial Guard base,for extraction. Woodthorne stored the reliquary and the scrolls inside a small metal box while she observed it up close, it was both golden and transparent, with a small fragment of some device, glowing blue and with a small inscription in High Gothic, one which awakened more questions than answers…


	10. The leader

The wind blew through every level of Mediolanum, making it the windiest day ever recorded. The sun was could barely give any light between the moving shadows and the clouds merged with the dense smoke columns as they painted the streets with shades of orange and red, moving as if shapeless monsters throughout the whole hive city. So was the day when everything changed. 

Deep within the city’s underhive, a small ground resounded with echoes of savagery and greed. The arena was one of the places within Mediolanum that remained a secret for the great majority. A place where the proper blood meant the patronage of the elite and a steady income of electronic parts for the winners. 

The highborn watched and feasted, cheering their favored fighters from their private balcony. The rest of the gangs shouted, supporting their proud warriors. Weapons of all sorts could be seen laying on the ground and on the hands of the still standing fighters. 

A lonely fighter stood atop a platform holding a flag in his hand while using his other to fend away the approaching enemies with his sword. In a blink, an axe slashed sideways across his lean abdomen and dropped his intestines on the platform, while a maze smashed his forehead in, making him fall towards the sand as a bloodied and unconscious pulp as the rest of the bloodied fighters climbed the platform. They grabbed the flag and attempted to fight each other out of the platform, slashing, stabbing and punching each other. 

It was amongst this mayhem where, high up in the balcony, Lord Remus could be seen at ease. He could almost forget his new and humiliating daily life. It had been barely two months and yet it felt like a lifetime for him. He knew deep within his thoughts that Palpatine, the foreigner he stood up against that day, had now most of the Consortium on his sleeve. His voice was a beating drum on the back of his head, but even that torment paled at the roaring echo of this arena. He didn’t know of it, should Remus’ informants were to be believed. Even if so, what could he do but to take over? He could still enjoy it and participate. It had been a hidden tradition amongst the highborn for decades, even centuries, and not even a foreigner could stop such tradition. 

A good day for Remus it appeared. His favored ones have acquired a streak of victories. If he could cash the bets in, he could even recover a ten percent of his previous loss. The elder had already thought of this as his only option for recovering his fortune and avoiding the need for the Consortium’s support, but it seemed as a grueling and long process, until now. His cup was full and the energy of the place made his aching back feel rejuvenated. He gripped his teeth in excitement as he saw a tall muscular dark skinned man emerge from the pile of corpses over the platform only to ram into the current flag holder. The warrior bit into the man’s throat with his metal covered fangs and ripped it apart, to then use the flag pole to stab the now lifeless contender multiple times. The fighter yelled at the top of his lungs holding the flag in the air. A victor was finally proclaimed. One favored by Remus. 

As the servitors recovered the bodies for processing, It was time for the final event: the ten brave over the pit. Remus had been meticulous on his fighter’s training for this event, even procuring a ration of muscle developing supplement as well as a mechanical augmentation for his legs. 

A group of slaves and servitors appeared at the arena and attached a structure to its walls and corners, a wide spread pattern of rails with sharp edges, where only a foot could be placed without falling. The floor then opened resembling a gate and revealed a gargantuan cauldron of molten metal, the main furnace which kept the majority of the scrap metal constantly recycled. The attendants roared in euforia. The overseer snapped his high held fingers and a gong was heard, signaling the start of the final event. 

A lean warrior with braided hair and lacerated body could be seen sprinting through the structure, dodging attacks and pushing other competitors down to the burning cauldron. He sported twin blades which spun gracefully as he cut through his enemies throat and joints with ease. Remus’ protégé was truly proving his worth. The warrior then glimpsed on a massive contender who, despite moving slowly, was densely muscular, heavily planted on the structure and sported a blooded axe. With a stomp, the contender moved another opponent out of balance and made him fall. He then grabbed another fighter behind him by the throat and tossed it out of the structure. The contender kept then hacking and splitting open any other fighter on his proximity. It would not be long until the two fighters realized that they were the only ones left. Remus’ protégé then ran towards the hulking warrior and leaped over it, slashing his upper back. The contender then tried to swing his axe only to fail at using his strength, opening his wounds even further. The lean fighter then slashed vertically all along the contender’s arm. The wounds sprayed blood and rendered the arm useless. As the hefty warrior attempted a kick, the protegé catched his foot and broke the ankle with a simple twist. The tough warrior then clinged to the structure for dear life, cutting his arms in the process and exposing his back to Remus’ fighter. The crowd then yelled louder and louder while the fighter stabbed the pinned down opponent again and again. The balcony was full of applause and laughter, some highborn even standing on their feet and spraying their cups into the arena in a sign of praise. Remus’ warrior then took one blade with both hands as he was preparing to strike the back of the head. Remus then stood up and remained quiet, feeling his throat run dry in anticipation while his eyes widened. He could taste victory and joy on his lips, Nothing could ruin the moment… Or so he thought. 

An abrupt explosion was heard before the fighter dealt the killing blow on his opponent. 

Mere seconds later, Remus felt a strong wind current pushing him out of his seat. A strong flash left him momentarily blind while feeling a swift and intense wave of heat. The old man fell on the floor shell shocked and disoriented. He then then witnessed the horror as he recovered his senses and stood up. The balcony had been riddled and was now burning, along with a few of the surrounding spectator rows. Blood and gore remained of one of the elder’s once living friend, only a hand and some torn apart limbs to be recognizable. He then felt the cold and humidity of a blood covered claw grabbing the back of his head. Remus could only look for a second before he felt the grip and being dragged to the now closing arena as a convict towards his cell, but it was enough for him. The Tattoos, the weapons, the scars… the Sorvitax had arrived.

Remus was put on the railings with the surviving highborn, the man could only stare at the bottom for the molten metal pit as he heard his captor’s speech: 

“Dear workers of Mediolanum, you have been oppressed and exploited by the consortium and their loyal dogs. Forced into a life of crime, violence and servitude. We will not let this happen anymore! The Blood Syndicate is here to claim what rightfully belongs to the strongest. We will create together a better city! One for the strongest, for together WE ARE THE STRONGEST!”

He felt a chill down his spine and his force left him as he was released. Remus fell, followed by the remaining highborn and their servants, their screams being muffled by the roaring molten metal.

He could only close his eyes while falling into his death. 

Days passed as the news spreaded through all the levels. Speakers and leaflets offered rewards for any lead on members of the Blood Syndicate. The Security corps then raided Manufactorums and dormitories, interrogating and beating any who showed the slightest sign of resistance. 

The living highborn activated all the defenses on the spire levels around their homes. Hundreds of automatic turrets, metal walls and miles of spikes and barbed wire could be seen around the houses of the remaining elite. Hundreds of workers were arrested and brutally murdered both on the streets and behind the Manufactorums, some even for covering their heads. Nevertheless, the Mechanicus forced the workers out of their hideouts and claimed their due electronic parts under a death threat, for they cared not for their supervisors and bosses more than for their own ascension.

In only a few weeks, the living machine once known as the hive city of Mediolanum, had become virtually useless. 

Everything changed one night when an extraordinary session of the Consortium took place at the security bunker. A third of the members had already lost their lives during the revolts and those who remained dared not to speak out loud in fear of being heard by the wrong person. After all, some of them were related to criminal gangs that were now members of the Blood Syndicate. While they whispered between each other around the table, a piece of paper and ballots were presented to each member by a servant, which they read in silence. The text was an apology letter for the absence of Lord Palpatine, which presented a new initiative regarding the recent events to be voted by the Consortium. The members looked at each other in doubt, as if to look for any that opposed it. It was then when they realized, those who could oppose the idea where gone, including Lord Remus himself, and those who remained held Lord Palpatine in high esteem. They knew not to trust each other, but they all agreed to trust the Lord from Ultramar and signed in agreement. 

The meeting soon ended and the servant took the ballots and put them in a folder. He then made his way through the dark streets and into Palpatine’s house and office. He made a reverence at the elder, who turned his back on the servant while gazing at the night horizon through his window:  
“The ballots, mylord.”

“No need for that, I already know the results. Is everything ready?”

“The shipment has already been delivered. The gangs are armed and in position.” 

“Excellent, you will strike at dawn. wait for Karriven’s command.”

The next morning was a quiet one, with an unusual event taking place: a relatively clear sky. A series of speakers could be seen rising over the streets and Manufactorums. The Consortium had called for a press conference. The highborn then entered the massive hall of the Ancient Consortium building, one which had been open only for historic events. The atmosphere was of utter silence and tension within the hall, until the Consortium members appeared and sat behind a long decorated table and a fixed presidium. 

Palpatine then walked into the presidium and spoke to a solitary microphone, which would deliver the message on all the city levels. As the uneasy crowd watched, his expression changed from a calm smile to a stoic grim, one that emphasized the both the seriousness and strength of his words:

“ Good people of Mediolanum... it is our pleasure to announce that we have come with an apt solution for our current security predicament. The Consortium has pondered many proposals and now agreed to bring the Populus Securitas protocol into full effect. Among the many measures within this protocol, all manufactorums will resume their work behind closed doors and double on the security and surveillance.   
By unanimous decision of the council, the protocol has left yours truly as Temporary Chief Executive and Supreme Security Manager, in charge of solving this conflict as fast and efficiently as possible.

For my first act as Chief Executive then, it is my pleasure to announce that a part of my wealth has been destined to properly equip our security forces as our army to fight against these criminal heretics, who attempt to upset the order as envisioned by our mighty Emperor. We have already deployed undercover units as well, who will help us understand the Modus Operandi of this organization from within and conquering it through itself.

For the sake of our world, I now ask you to trust me. I am an honest man and humble servant of the Emperor’s will. Nevertheless, it will never be my intention to suffer the rebellious heretic, but to confront it as our glorious Imperial Guard does. To obliterate it as our Space Marines do, with a strong hand and an immovable faith. We will strike them with a gigantic obliterating blow and take back what is rightfully ours.

Together, we will stand against the Sorvitax and their Blood Syndicate rebellion. Together, Emperor wills it, we will defend our present and secure a better future for Mediolanum.”

The crowd then bursted into thunderous applause as soon as the speech was finished. Palpatine then waved his audience and looked around once again with a calm smile. 

Some people within the crowd then looked to the east through the windows, pointing at something. A smoke column could be seen from afar, from the spire of their neighbouring city. Voracum was under attack…


	11. Resilience

The hum of the burning engines being muffled was the first thing to be noticed by the Inquisitors. Then, the sudden shake of deceleration. The dark corridors of the ship were lit up once more and sound could be heard on the corridors. 

Vader took his time to prepare and tended his wounds with the help of the mechadendrite. “At least they were less prominent than the ones received that first night” he thought. The Sith then left his room and went into the dining hall, where his team was waiting. Woodthorne was already finishing her meal and Alexyos struggled to eat his soup while holding his stomach:

“Ten weeks… ten weeks and I can not get used to the movement sickness yet. Damn rust bucket!” 

Woodthorne then picked up her plate after finishing:  
“It took us more than expected to exit the Damocles Gulf. According to my data we are a light year away from the frontier with Obscurus, and very close to our target, so finish your meal fast...You are not eating, Vader?

“I am full, Captain. Thank you.” 

Alexyos scoffed and slurped the rest of his soup before speaking:  
“You will have to show us your face one day, Darth. Perhaps you want to spare us from the horrible sight of your dark circles?”

Vader remained silent.

“I have heard the sounds from your room. You barely sleep.”

“My sleep is not of your concern, Psycher.” Vader sharply answered.

“I know why...You are not the only one cursed with surviving the Warp visions.”

“Stand down. Both of you!” Woodthorne interrupted.

An alarm called the Inquisitors back to the deck of the Poenitens. Woodthorne accessed the mainframe and disengaged the thrusters, being only the remaining impulse the thing that kept the ship moving forward. She then checked the radar and Astronomicon maps:

“We...we have arrived. The coordinates match, but there appears to be no system or space station within the radar. These instruments must be failing. Search for any celestial body on sight.”

Vader and Alexyos remained silent and looked through the main deck’s windows for any signs of life or movement. Only a large mass of roaming asteroids to be seen.

A transmission broke the silence, drawing the team's attention :

“All Imperial ships within reach, This is an emergency message from the Imperial cruise Prudentiam, following distress code 0599170. Request immediate assistance to contain a Xeno offensive. Repeat, all Imperial ships within reach: request assistance to contain a Xeno offensive, over.”

Woodthorne then grabbed the radio microphone and answered:  
“This is the Inquisition light cruise Poenitens, we hear you Prudentiam. What is your location?”

“We receive you Poenitens...our radar marks you at a distance of 50000 meters north. Keep your current trajectory.”

“Understood Prudentiam. We are on our way.”

“Echo that, Poenitens. Please do hurry.”

The moment the transmission ended, the deck was soon illuminated by the grim spectacle on the horizon: the massive and maimed cruise ship was surrounded by smaller fighter vessels which discharged their firepower and smashed their way into its haul. The lights of the explosions could be perfectly seen from afar. Two larger vessels kept constant fire and surrounded the ship. Not so far away, a ship sized asteroid seemed to drift away from its group and towards the battle. The Xeno fleet lacked any kind of cohesion and resembled a hornets nest descending over an animal or a shark surrounding its dying prey. Their design was a dead giveaway for its origin: Fightabommas and Space hulks, an ork fleet. 

“It seems we have a small time frame. Vader I hope the records are true. You shall take point with your new equipment and assist the defense forces within the ship. Alexyos, ready the defense batteries and draw their attention, we will regroup at the ship’s bridge.” 

“It will be done, Captain.”

The Sister and the Psycher then hastily took positions. Vader took the elevator and descended unto the hangar. The lights turned on as soon as he set foot on it and Vader grabbed a pack of Lasguns, Plasma pistols, Meltaguns, boxes of grenades and magazines from a locker nearby. Whatever Imperium forces were there, they would need ammunition and plenty of. He then walked towards a covered structure nearby, pulling and lifting the covering sheet over it.

“It is not ready. The targeting system is yet to be tested...” Vader thought while putting the weapons and ammunition on the back seat. He then jumped into the cockpit and removed his helmet. He adjusted the linking mechanism and attached the connection needle to his spinal cord under the back of his head.

It was then when Vader realized it:

The Sith was feeling the excitement he felt so long ago on Tatooine when he won his own freedom. The same thrill and rage than when he almost burned at Mustaphar’s atmosphere. For deep within his mind, even if he was born anew without legs… he knew he always had wings.

The engines roared and the cogitator displayed the available systems and engine levels, all under a single word, the ship’s name: X-0266 ARCHANOS 

The ship rose off the ground, leaving the hangar and the Poenitens at full speed. Vader then looked around the cockpit, seeming pretty contempt of how his equipment was holding up, before activating his main weapons. Woodthorne saw the vessel moving swiftly into battle from the distance: A lonely fighter, all painted black with the Ordo sigil in white proudly displayed over the front wings and the Aquila Imperialis on its rear wings. A simple yet majestic ship model: a Fury Interceptor. 

As Vader approached the target, he could see the precarious conditions of its haul, as well as the Ork tide firing on it, only to turn around and unleash another volley, with some even directly crashing onto the ship. A tidal wave crashing on a rock, over and over.

The Sith locked on a target and opened fire on one of the Fightabommas left flank, destroying some of the ships instantly. Vader maneuvered up and down while flanking the rest of the fleet, killing 9 more as he swiftly moved through the swarm. The Orks immediately left the siege and like a hungry beast, proceeded to chase the new prey. 

Vader lured the Greenskins towards the asteroids and moved through them, spinning and dodging to avoid any crashes. The Orks followed but could barely keep the pace since their ships kept crashing on the rocks and between each other. The explosions created more debris and rocks, which impacted and destroyed more ships. A significant portion of the Fightabommas was destroyed until the Greenskins realized Vader was no longer in sight. Those who remained maneuvered and turned back to resume their siege. All of a sudden, the Archanos came out of a lower position and opened fire on the retreating Orks. Some fighters had rear shooters who fired back, but missed due to Vader’s maneuvering. The Orks then poorly tried to get rid of their chaser and were shot down one by one. The fleet had been destroyed and the remains of the ship now littered that small portion of space. It was then when Vader noticed another wave of Fightabommas coming from one of the Spacehulks descending upon him. 

The Sith then engaged his thruster and charged towards the fleet, drawing their attention. The Orks then pressed forward and opened fire, which was suddenly stopped by Vader’s Force shield. The fighters got ever closer and kept gaining speed. The urge of destroying their new foe took over the Orks. Vader then unleashed a barrage of missiles and dived under the charging ships.

It was then when the Poenitens arrived.

Both the Prudentiam and the Poenitens opened fire and wiped out the remaining Fightabommas. 

Vader flew up and made a sharp turn for a run over one of the Spacehulks. He unleashed all the remaining firepower of his lasguns and missiles, destroying or maiming as many turrets and cannons as possible. The remaining large Ork vessel opened fire on the Poenitens and the standing turrets on the former attempted to lock their sights on the Archanos. The Sith’s earpiece received another transmission:

“Vader, their fighters are down. Move on to the Cruise ship, they shall cover you with their artillery. We will use the ship’s extension bridge on their upper deck. Main deck, double time!”

“Understood, Captain.”

Vader then made haste and entered the Prudentiam’s hangar to then turn off his ship and put his helmet on once again. A row of servitors approached the ship and connected fuel and electricity tubes, bringing also tools and spare parts for its maintenance. Three Guardsmen sporting dark blue uniforms with red details and golden epaulettes appeared and saluted Vader the moment he set foot on the hangar. One of them stepped forward and addressed Vader as he approached them:

“Mylord Inquisitor, we are honored and truly thankful.”

“Why were you not returning fire before?” Vader stoically asked. The Sith looked around the hangar, giving a sorrowful sight since the shelling damage was evident.

“Our batteries were malfunctioning and some even overheated due to continuous firing. You gave us the time we needed for repairs, Mylord Inquisitor”

“ I am to meet the other Inquisitors on the main bridge. Have some of your men unload the weapons and ammunition off my ship, distribute it among all combatants. You will lead me to join my party.”

“At once Mylord. Are we not to wait for your gunner?”

“There is none. Now move.”

The rest of the soldiers looked at each other in disbelief before being signaled to unload the ship. How could one pilot do the work of two at such a high level of performance?

The men retook the martial formality and hurried up as Vader left the hangar.

A row of guards saluted Vader and his guide on their way to the deck, snapping their pristine boots. They all sported the same blue uniform which, even with battle marks, barely presented any stains. Their faces although bruised, burned or wounded, denoted no fear or fatigue. The Sith could recognize the stoic look on their faces: it was the look of determination and loyalty, the look of someone raised to be a proud warrior. The voice of the Jedi knight came to his head:

“Loyalty...means everything to the clones.”

While approaching the bridge, a door to his left opened revealing a tunnel, from which Alexyos and Woodthorne calmly emerged. The Psycher sported a short barreled Lasgun and Theodora a Plasma pistol. The team nodded at each other and walked into the main bridge, where a group of saluting Guardsmen were waiting for them. They walked in and stood around a Hololithic device displaying a scaled map of the ship. 

Alexyos then spoke via telepathy:   
“ Captain, if I may, we could destroy the ship and the explosion would certainly kill the Xenos. I’m sure these Guardsmen would gladly die for the Imperium.”

Woodthorne didn’t answer and instead broke the martial silence.

“Who is the commanding officer?”

“It is I, Mylady Inquisitor. Sergeant Paulus, 7th company, 14th regiment, Mordian Iron guard.”

“What happened with the rest of the officers?”

“They are dead or missing, and the navy officers were evacuated according to protocol, Mylady Inquisitor. Along with engineers and all the non-combatant personnel.”

“What is your situation?”

“5100 casualties, 2700 standing and at least a thousand missing in action. Our haul can barely resist the constant barrages. The Orks have penetrated and started an assault on the upper levels 3 days ago, causing heavy losses. Our makeshift barricades have concentrated the bulk on levels Alpha and Echo, behind gates 3, 5, 6, 12,13, 15 and 17. Nonetheless there are frequent raids on levels Bravo and Delta due to their demolition teams. The gretchin squadrons have slithered their way through the ventilation systems and damaged several defense mechanisms. They have sealed doors with their explosive squigs, even cutting the electric grid and damaging the life support. We can’t reach the lower levels for explosives and our men are running low on artillery ammunition despite our rationing efforts. 

“You have depleted your standard supply? How long have you been entrenched? “

“Two weeks Mylady Inquisitor.”

“Just call me Inquisitor.” Woodthorne sighed as she rubbed her forehead with two fingers in impatience.

“Yes Inquisitor.”

“How come you have not devised a counterattack plan and ended the Xeno threat?”

“We had no orders on the matter. Our orders were to meet up with the rest of the fleet at this exact location and hold our position while we covered the Scintillan ships on their diplomatic mission as they jumped into the Warp, Inquisitor. They promised reinforcements.”

The Sister then raised her voice and approached the officer.

“You have suffered...the Xeno scum and wasted the lives of your Guardsmen for FOURTEEN DAYS based on a fading promise?! Are you a rational soldier or a mindless heretic, Guardsman ?!”

The Sergeant kept his martial posture while looking down and answering:  
“We… serve The Emperor by following his will, exactly how he disposes, Inquisitor.”

The Captain sighed and looked at her team, pondering their next move. Silence took over the room once more, all eyes on the Repentant Sister, who then thoughtfully looked at the map once more . She then broke words :

“Have they taken over the engine room?”

“No Inquisitor. There is an entrenched squad holding position with our only Bolter turret.”

“Then I am pleased to inform you that as an Inquisitor and the highest rank officer, you are now under my command! We are in search of a top priority target in this area. We take out these Greenskins and you will assist us on our search, is that understood?!”

“Y...yes Inquisitor.” The Sergeant replied.

“Alexyos! Take two squads and secure the lower levels, bring out all the supplies and explosives you can carry.”

“At once, Captain.”

“Vader! Gather a platoon, arm them up and make haste to the upper levels. I need you to start a counterattack and draw the Orks’ attention. Lead the charge!”

“It will be done.” Vader calmly nodded

“Sergeant, while Vader deals with the Greenskins you will coordinate search and rescue, recover as many men as possible and make sure you seal all the doors as you leave. All doors past engineering must be shut.”

“Yes, Inquisitor.”

She then addressed the room:  
“When a limb is infected by a parasite or poison, the quickest way to avoid death by it is to isolate or amputate the limb. We shall do the same with our ship. I will coordinate the demolition and make sure that Xeno filth gets what they deserve. In retribution for our fallen brothers. You have your orders men, now move out!”

“Yes Inquisitor!” Everybody shouted in martial fashion and stormed out of the bridge.

Alexyos and Vader walked with a hasty pace through many corridors towards the elevators as the Guardsmen were gathered to receive their orders.

Alexyos then hit Vader with a playful elbow 

“You should feel proud, Darth. It looks like our Captain is softening up to your ways.”

Alexyos then felt a strong chokehold on his neck and fell to his knees trying to breathe while Vader kept walking. He then stopped and looked back at the Psycher as he recovered his breath:

“You should talk less, Alexyos. You might choke on your own words one day.”

The Psycher attempted to stand up and whispered:

“As your wife did?”

The Sith then Force pulled Alexyos to a stand, unsheathing his sword and looking at Alexyos over his shoulder

“As your former team did... We shall resume this later. Stay alive, Psycher.”

Alexyos coughed and grumbled bearing his teeth as he took his weapon and jogged his way into the elevator to his left while watching Vader taking the one on the right. 

Vader went up and exited the lift to find a busy corridor. Guardsmen were receiving their orders on the radio while others distributed the provided weapons and ammunition. Some reinforcements could be seen climbing up the stairs at the end of a long aisle. 

A group approached and saluted Vader:

“Mylord, we have received the orders. Our men are standing by.”

“For their own sake, I hope they are. Is there any local access to the electric grid?

“Yes Mylord, this way.”

The Sith then followed the Guardsmen into a small room right next to the main door, where the platoon readied their weapons and took positions either behind some improvised barricades or aside their brothers as close to the doors as possible, ready to charge. Inside the small room, Vader inspected the wires and pulled out a thick wire to then cut it. The lights flickered while growls and shots could be heard from the other side of the thick main door. The lights were shut down on the Ork side.

Vader then opened a hole into an enormous pipe, which he inspected and attempted to fit in.

“ Mylord… that would be the ventilation system.”

“I know. Secure the entrance to this room and join your brothers at the main door. When I open the door, you shall unleash your fury on any Xeno on sight. Be ready.”

They both saluted and closed the door. Vader swiftly leaped up into the ventilation network.

Meanwhile, Woodthorne and the Sergeant monitored the map and the few remaining cameras, as to corroborate all the troops were in position. 

She saw Vader through the ventilation cameras and Alexyos and his team in position. The Sister nodded and the Sergeant softly spoke through the comms:

“Proceed.”

A noise was heard above the Xenos, inside the ventilation ducts, to which the Orks instinctively fired. The sound suddenly stopped. Darkness reigned inside the blocked corridor. The Greenskins went quiet as to hear if there was any movement still.

Inside the pitch black of the room, a heavy breathing was heard. 

All of a sudden, a single light illuminated the tight space right behind the Ork mob: It was Vader’s red glowing Powersword...


	12. The odds

The red light moved swiftly sideways, blocked by the shadows of the massive horde. There was barely any room to move and the Sith’s visor could be easily steamed by the breath of those beasts. Growls and cuts, thumps and thuds resonated within the packed hallway. The Xenos who couldn’t reach the inquisitor pushed and punched each other while the crimson blade cut through them with ease. Weapons fell from severed arms. Soon, some of them opened fire as an attempt to wound the attacker, killing their fellow Greenskins in the process, only to fail once more. And despite this, the green mass kept moving ever closer.

It was then when Vader decided to unleash his power and with both hands pushed back the horde, even sending in the air some of the Orks upfront. From the back a massive Greenskin punched and slashed its way forward and swung its axe towards Vader, only to barely miss. Vader then jumped towards the Ork and swiftly cut its head off. Nevertheless, as the Sith spun his way back to the floor, the head was able to get a grasp on the Sith’s left hand, biting it with all its remaining strength while the jaw appeared to be stiffening, resembling rigor mortis. 

The Orks opened fire once more and Vader used the head as a shield and the corpse for cover, turning the once mighty Greenskin into a pile of flesh and blood. While on cover, Vader focused his force power on the door behind and opened it. There was a brief moment of silence while the members of the Iron Guard gazed upon the gruesome massacre as well as their remaining foes. Both sides stared at each other in anticipation, holding their weapons tight. As Vader readied his sword, the men finally exploded into a single cry: 

“CHAAARGE!”

The Guardsmen sprinted and opened fire while the Greenskins fired once more. However, their rounds were stopped mid air by Vader’s abilities, some even bouncing back and wounding more Orks. The Guardsmen responded to this with an even more frantic pace and exacerbated fury. They kept firing while some others descended into melee, where groups of men stabbed and maimed a few Greenskins, slashing their throats and limbs, gouging their eyes,disemboweling them, almost as if they were a pack of wolves descending upon a larger prey. The Orks responded to the challenge and kept pushing through the heavy fire, smashing any Guardsmen they could reach against the walls and ripping them apart with their claws, blades and fangs. Vader could only keep deflecting the incoming Ork rounds while the melee raged on.

The feral brawl kept going until the Guardsmen pressed forward, easily outnumbering the Greenskins. While most of the Orks kept fighting, some could be seen falling back, which   
bolstered the Iron Guard morale and encouraged Vader back into the fight. 

The Sith swiftly slashed and stabbed the remaining Greenskins while the rest retreated with lasrounds firing to their backs. The Guardsmen raised their weapons in the air and cheered in joy for a few instants, only to recover martial sobriety and gather any weapons or ammunition from their dead. 

Vader stared at the dark bottom of the hallway and yelled new orders while pointing with his sword:

“We have them on the run, but the battle is not over! keep pushing men! Take only what you can carry!”

The Mordians immediately readied their weapons and charged once again with their bayonets, while Vader observed and made sure no one was staying behind. A medic approached and saluted Vader: 

“Mylord, I see you have been wounded. Do You require medical assistance?”

It was then that Vader looked at his left hand: scratched and crushed by the bite , although there seemed to be no leaks. He moved his fingers and although their response was slower, they seemed to be working and made no apparent sound. He shaked his head in denial. 

“I am alright. Your brothers need you upfront.”

Meanwhile, the Sister observed through the cameras as Vader jogged his way back into the battle along with the medic, changing then to Alexyos reunited with the gunners down at the engine room. She sighed in relief and faintly smirked as everything appeared to be going as planned. Woodthorne then delivered new orders to those on the bridge:

“ This is our opportunity. Sergeant, prepare your search and rescue teams, we need to evacuate and make sure we trapped those Greenskins. Move!”

“Yes, Inquisitor. But there is something you must know.”

“Is it regarding the orders you previously received?”

“N-no...but it is a pressing matter.”

“Then say it, for Emperor’s sake!”

“The Greenskins that Inquisitor Vader just encountered on the upper levels. They were at most half the amount that we have previously fought against. And they possessed even more fire power. ”

The Sister frowned in disbelief and stared at the Sergeant in the eye. 

“You are saying there could be more waiting for them...”

“Yes, Inquisitor. And they also had many squiggs and demolition experts.”

In her head, the briefing popped up back and realized that the previously mentioned sabotage could have been a well thought strategy rather than random mayhem. 

Woodthorne then returned to the cameras and although the images were blurry, she could see a symbol one one of the Ork corpses, confirming her suspicions and injecting fear into her veins. These were no narrow minded Greenskins, they were Blood Axes. 

She reached for her earpiece and contacted Alexyos and Vader: 

“Attention, the Orks are setting a trap! They wanted to divide us! Alexyos barricade your position! Vader, don’t…”

A sudden shake disrupted the bridge and cut out the camera transmissions. The room was suddenly covered by thick smoke, a projectile had impacted, but the haul had resisted. From the window, Woodthorne could witness at the brink of terror what was taking place out in space: the Spacehulks opened fire once more and were slowly approaching within charging range. Her earpiece fell off with the impact and couldn’t see it through the smoke. She could feel the heavy sweat falling from her forehead and her throat running dry. Suddenly, another threat appeared in the distance: The immense asteroid once roaming through the field now appeared to be moving towards the battle zone. Not by natural impulse but by thrusters. An Ork concoction born out of their barbaric imagination, a Rok.

She felt the guilt and fear long ago repressed and narrowed her thoughts once more: she would do anything to avoid what she felt that cursed, forsaken day. She spat swift orders:

“ Sergeant! Take your men and assist the gunners, we must contain them! 

She left the room sprinting and unholstered her weapons, taking the first ladder on sight and going down.

The Sith called once more through his communications with no results. He gripped his sword tight while entering the new section. Vader went down the hallway and the door was closed right behind him. The mighty horde of guardsmen were crammed inside a tight hall,with barely any room to move. Vader was focused on trying to contact his Captain when he sensed it. In a split second, he realized what the Sister tried to warn him about: he could feel the Orks moving...

A series of explosions went off down the hallway. 

Many guardsmen were instantly transformed into flying corpses and pulsating sacks of flesh, blood and torn limbs. The Sith could barely react but managed to protect those closest to him, little more than half of their force. It was then when, from behind the flames and the bent metal walls, rows of red eyes and shining fangs appeared in between the flaming darkness. 

The Greenskins opened fire. They unleashed thousands of rounds in mere seconds. Despite this, none could hit the humans, most stopping mid air and some even bouncing back. The rest of the Ork shooters approached from the now connected hallways, spraying even more firepower on the Force barrier.   
Vader realized his safest bet was to keep the barrier up, but knew he would not resist forever...

Woodthorne ran towards the sound of explosions only to find herself at the end of a pushing Ork mob. She wasted no time and slashed her way through with her Chainsword, while firing her plasma pistol into the thick skull of any Greenskin within range. She kept going and the Xeno mob drew their attention towards her. She was surrounded and had to fight through more and more enemies, to which the Sister retaliated with fury. She kept going until an explosion repelled her and left her unconscious on the floor. 

Soon enough, Woodthorne woke up due to the detonations and could only shake off her shell shock by realizing what they could mean.

She sprinted through the corpses and shot the wounded Greenskins to find a wall of blasts where rows of Orks armed with bombs and grenades were reduced to bloody pulps, or simply consumed by the fire. She shot any stragglers and blew up any Greenskin trying to take her by surprise. The explosions finally ceased and the Sister walked through the thick smoke while pointing her pistol up front.

The sudden silence kept Woodthorne alert while moving through the smoke, until she tripped on a corpse and rolled forward to a shooting position. She then realized she had passed the smoke and was greeted with a sight that gave her a breath of fresh air. 

It was Alexyos and his men...

“By the throne! It is good to see you captain! We contained most of the Squiggs and grenadiers but they just kept coming. Some of the men here thought we were done for.”

“Well done, Psycher, now go assist Vader. I have to go back to artillery. Team Alpha, prepare priority one cargo for remote detonation and join us on the top. Team Iron, begin extraction on the lower levels. ”

The guardsmen saluted and went their separate ways.

A sudden tremor drew the attention of the Inquisitors: they knew there was not much time. 

Vader could feel his body sweating profusely inside the suit. The Greenskin firing rate seemed not to dwindle and some of the biggest Orks attempted to smash and slash their way through the Force barrier. Seconds were as if minutes and minutes as if hours for the Sith, while he tried to device a plan. He could only repel them with a push, but knew it would barely be of any use for him and his men. They could not run or fight their way out and would surely be massacred. The remaining Guardsmen looked the Sith in the eye and simply nodded, embracing the idea of going through with their orders and fight to the death. Vader suddenly heard a voice in his head and with his remaining strength threw his Power sword to pierce the door behind them and used his Force ability to carve a small hole in it. 

From the small hole Alexyos stuck his hand out and in a blink unleashed a lightning barrage, which discharged its power on the majority of the shooting Greenskins around Vader and his men. Mustering all his power, the Psycher raised the intensity and exploded some of the Ork guns, maiming their wielders. 

Time and again, the Ork shooters fell to their knees and burned to a char, with bleeding ears, burned skin and melted eyes while their fellow Greenskins watched.

At that moment, Vader could breathe. Using his renewed strength, the Sith unleashed a gargantuan Force push which sent the remaining Orks flying and smashed them against the walls. Some Xenos were even stabbed and wounded by their own flying weapons. The door bursted open and Alexyos came in wielding his lasgun and carrying Vader’s sword. 

They were then back to back and the Guardsmen around them with their weapons ready. Vader then screamed at the top of his lungs the only order worth giving:

“SPARE NONE!”

The Mordian Guardsmen charged and descended into a sloppy masacre rather than feral brawl: stomping, shooting and stabbing as many knocked over Orks as possible. Those still standing we’re downed by lasfire or cut clean by Vader’s blade. Some Orks and Gretchins tried to Slash and punch their way through but only found the pain of their limbs being twisted or ripped apart by The Force. The Imperial warriors were soon surrounded by hundreds of corpses to which the Greenskins responded by standing up and pushing forward once again. The Guardsmen fired their remaining rounds, to which Vader responded by ordering them to stand down. With a deep breath and a twist of his wrist, the Sith snapped their necks and ripped their heads off left and right, leaving the survivors to be burned in an instant by Alexyos’ lightning. 

The Sith took a knee while his men cheered once more. They had captured the upper levels.

“Are you alright,Vader?” Asked the Psycher while offering his hand.

The Sith simply nodded as he tried to catch his breath.

Both then realized his left hand was missing, to which the Sith reacted with indifference. It seemed the Force push was too much for it, he thought.

“One advantage of being less of a man than the rest I suppose.”

Vader scoffed and stood up once more. 

“You speak as if you were a man yourself.” 

Team Alpha arrived dragging crates full of man-sized cannon ammunition, also carrying rolls of chord and detonators. 

Alexyos kept staring at the shells:

“Hellbreaker pattern Earthshaker rounds, there’s no way in Emperor their ship will survive that…”

“Let us pray they do not, Mylord. ” Paulus stated while entering the room and saluting them.

“Where is our Captain?”

“Back at artillery. We are trying to repel the Ork ships with the ammunition we received. I am to take these men for search and rescue by Captain’s orders.”

“I understand, carry on Sergeant.” Vader calmly responded.

A tremor shook the room and put everyone on alert once more. Alexyos then noticed a signal being received by his earpiece:

“Mylord, this is Team Iron. The lower levels have been sealed and cleared. We have movement: a large group of Orks moving towards the upper levels. they’re in a hurry.”

Alexyos only looked at Paulus and Vader while readying his lasrifle. They all nodded, knowing what was coming. Paulus raised his voice:

Search and rescue. Double time! Secure doors and airlocks, three levels down!”

“Yes, sir!” The entire room saluted.

The Sith and Psycher carefully placed and connected the chords and detonators into the floor and doors around the room. They then heard the footsteps, the growls and roars of the Greenskins, to which they simply prepared by standing next to their possible entrance. 

Alexyos opened fire while Vader kept pushing them back using the Force through what remained of his left arm. He then cut down any stragglers coming towards them with his right. The mob tore its way through the door and opened fire on the inquisitors. Vader held the shots back long enough for them to retreat. Once they were next to the shell crates, the Sith let the barrier down and the Greenskins charged once more. 

The inquisitors kept fighting and climbing above the stacking Ork corpses while also making sure the crates remained untouched. With a nod, Vader gave Alexyos the queue to activate the charges.a fainting beep was heard, followed by the roaring detonations.

The explosions ripped the entrances and walls apart, carving their way through the thick metal until a violent current started sucking the remaining air out of the hall: They had struck the void of space. Despite the violent suction, the now shattered hall was still clinging to the rest of the ship while some Ork and human corpses were projected into outer space. Alexyos kept tapping the detonator and dropped it as rage took over him: 

“The charges! The explosion was not enough!”

Vader Force pushed Alexyos away towards the exit and took a deep breath. With all his might, he wielded the force with both arms and tore through the bent steel, separated the remaining unions and opened a hole, ripping the whole ship section apart and finally sending it to space. The psycher could only watch in awe as he used the emergency hatch to close the door behind him. 

The tore section was violently flung and started spinning away. Vader held his breath and activated the charges connected to the shells. The flickering red lights could barely be seen in the darkness of space, especially surrounded by a torrent of Ork corpses shading over it. Vader closed his eyes and slowly exhaled while waiting to reach the intended target, and possibly his demise.

The artillery deck was bustling with noise and activity as the cannons fired incessantly to stop the charging Spacehulks. It was then illuminated by the crashing and explosion of the improvised projectile made from the Prudentiam’s extirpated section. The damaged Spacehulks steered and crashed into the second Ork vessel, stopping their frantic charge. Despite the odds, Woodthorne’s plan had worked. 

The Guardsmen cheered once more to be interrupted by new orders from the Sister: 

“Suppressing fire on the incoming target! Full power! Adjust fire on Epsilon 3-0-5. On my mark...mark!”

The complete battery fired with a constant merciless pace onto the asteroid, which started cracking. As it approached the ships, the Rok seemed to be resisting, until deeper fissures started showing up and suddenly exploded from within. The rubble showered one of the Spacehulks nearby while the biggest remaining boulder approached the remaining of the other. In an instant, a blinding orange light illuminated the Prudentiam. The Spacehulks bursted into a chain of explosions, which finally destroyed the once mighty Ork vessels. The remaining rubble from both ships crashed into each other while some straggler Fightabommas could be seen barely escaping the explosions, only to be gunned down by the artillery. 

Woodthorne smirked at the spectacle and then sighed in relief when she turned around and saw Alexyos coming from across the room. She crossed her arms and spoke with a confident tone:

A remarkable work, Psycher. Where is Vader?

Alexyos nodded in denial. Woodthorne then stepped back as her expression changed into disbelief. They both then turned their attention to outer space as a warning was repeatedly shouted between the Guardsmen: INCOMING! 

Woodthorne could see the biggest boulder from the Rok gaining speed through the destroyed Fleet and accelerating towards their ship. It was at that moment when she realized that a minuscule black blur was hanging from the back and clawed its way to the front: Vader had survived. With a gesture from his remaining hand, Vader started crushing the massive boulder from within, slowly cracking and letting purple beams out. The boulder was almost on top of the Prudentiam when it suddenly exploded into dust. From the dust, the Sith extracted a flickering purple light while using his Force pull to land at the hangar. The Sith bumped and rolled into the hangar while holding the light between his arms. He remained curled up on the floor and closed his eyes once more as the sounds of footsteps surrounded him.

Woodthorne rushed down to see it with her eyes. As she approached Vader, the Sister noticed an irregularity on her heartbeat and a swelling sensation on her chest. Something she had not felt in a long time…

The Sister helped Alexyos as he attempted to put Vader on his feet.

“Never thought your suit was space worthy.”

“As long as I can hold my breath.” The Sith responded while extending his arms forward.

“Is that what I suspect?”

The Sister pointed a detector at the strange receptacle and nodded in affirmation when she saw the energy levels. Their objective had come to them.

“Well done, Vader. Can you open it?”

“The Force is..strong…within this object…”

Vader suddenly fell to his knees and started panting once more in exhaustion, letting the glowing construct fall as well. It was a cube of sorts, with pyramid shapes al over it and covered in white and gold laminate. A small glass window at its center emitted the now fading purple light. 

The receptacle opened and revealed a silver cylinder, with numerous engravings all over it along with two pocket-sized books. Alexyos opened one of the books and found the pages covered with endless lines of varied symbols, twisted and turned into endless blocks of text. There were phrases written in many languages beyond the Psycher’s knowledge. He still could recognize the cover decorations, as it resembled a vision that tormented him long ago:

“The Great...Library.”

Woodthorne examined the cylinder and read the inscription in high gothic out loud:  
“May all life across the stars be found and conquered. May this device propel you through lightyears of darkness unend. May all sources of knowledge and power be submitted to your command.  
For so is the will… of Magnus the Red”


End file.
